


Headlights

by kevpho



Category: Initial D, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Car Racing, Alternate Universe - No Quirks (My Hero Academia), Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, F/M, Gay comes after Izuku grows as a racer, Gen, M/M, Multi, Slow Burn, Street Racing, Technical Terms Used, Threats of Rape/Non-Con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2019-11-18 12:45:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 55
Words: 98,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18120995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kevpho/pseuds/kevpho
Summary: Bakugou Katsuki is one of the best street racers in the Gunma area, driving a yellow Mazda FD3S; the best of its kind and the cornering machine of Japan.So imagine his surprise when a random, slow, and underpowered white-and-black AE86 Trueno showed up and beat him out of nowhere.-or: Initial D AU with BKDK (extremely) slow burn.





	1. Chance Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> Warning that technical terms regarding racing and cars will be used because I'm a huge fan of cars and stuff.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midoriya Izuku races against his childhood friend by pure luck.

* * *

It was the transitioning of spring to summer in the year of 1997 in Japan.

 

Street racing was bigger than ever, with the underground car culture growing bigger everyday with seemingly no end.

 

Drivers that loved driving fast and fast cars raced against each other and even forming up teams - on highways of Yokohama, on the streets of Tokyo; but many’s favourite was the mountain passes - touge - they were called.

 

Japan’s car industry thrived with brilliant sports cars built by mainstream manufacturers every single year - Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Subaru were the common ones you’d see on the road.

 

Midoriya Izuku stepped out of his family’s Toyota AE86 and locked the car before heading for the door to his small little two-storey shophouse.

 

It was his father’s - Midoriya Hisashi’s - car before he had an accident on the mountains one day because of a drunk driver and passed on.

 

The car had been totaled then, but the Midoriya family had gotten it fixed regardless because they knew how much the car meant to the late Hisashi - it was the car that he had bought for the new family business when Izuku turned five. He was a racer then, but due to the need to settle down, he needed to buy a more practical car and was forced to stop using his two-seater Toyota 2000GT he had since the age of 20.

 

And to Hisashi’s joy - Toyota had released a fun new sports car that is incredibly suitable for the job with its hatchback design - the AE86, and it became the Midoriya family car since its release in 1983.

 

Of course he’d gotten the Trueno model, as it reminded Hisashi of his old 2000GT with the usage of pop-up headlights.

 

But sadly, he died before even reaching the age of 40 - leaving behind a broken-hearted Inko, and a Izuku that was only 14 years old who had started driving the car because Hisashi was bored one day and decided to teach him basic car controls.

 

Since then, Hisashi decided it’ll be good for his son to begin delivering tofu to the hotel sometimes - taking turns to do the job - and Izuku, being the good child that he is that wanted to help out with anything; had agreed, and started driving in the roads of Haruna with a three-quarters filled water cup to gauge liquid movement in the car as he drove along.

 

It was difficult to drive without spilling the water at first, and he had ruined a piece of tofu or two in the beginning, but as time went on; he slowly begun to get the hang of it.

 

Waking up early usually meant that he started to sleep less and felt tired more easily since.

 

However, right this moment; Midoriya Izuku was feeling very excited and buzzed from adrenaline.

 

Why?

 

Because he had just beaten his childhood friend - who he hadn't seen for a long while - by chance, on the roads of Mount Haruna after unloading his car.

 

* * *

 

 

A yellow A-Spec Mazda FD3S charged up the roads of Mount Haruna - and if anyone knew about street racing and saw the sight - they would immediately associate the very car with its driver: Bakugou Katsuki - the number-two driver of the fastest racing team in Gunma: Akagi’s RedSuns.

 

Now, usually; Bakugou Katsuki was the one who took on challenges for a race to prove anybody that thought his driving skills were subpar absolutely wrong, but this time: he was the one challenging another to a battle.

 

To a seemingly unknown driver of a Toyota - and a surprising model at that: an AE86 - Sprinter Trueno; a car that is… underpowered, and old. Sure, the car might have been built to be fun to drive and good for drifting; but the car was nowhere near a contender for a race against Mazda’s rotary rocket that dominated the sports car market - an FD3S.

 

Specifically, an FD3S tuned specifically for street racing, with twin turbochargers and special reinforcements to allow the car to output 350 horsepowers.

 

And he - Bakugou Katsuki - had been beaten by a mere AE86 which he easily outran on the straights with power - by his own judgement; the car had no more than 150 horsepower and was no good in a slugfest.

 

However, he had completely lost.

 

Feeling familiar anger well up in the pit of his stomach as he approached another corner, he stomped his right foot onto the brake pedal and clutch kicked with his left as he downshifted with a perfectly executed heel-and-toe.

 

Steering into the right-hand bend and feeling the rear tyres lose their grip, he stepped on the gas gently to allow the car to slip at just the right angle to drift through the corner smoothly.

 

The Trueno just appeared all of a sudden in the middle of the night - or rather; early in the morning at… 4? 5? And it seemed none of the local drivers knew who it was when the car was mentioned at a local gas station manned by mostly hopeless car junkies.

 

He had been on a practice lap that time; it was his third time driving through the course; and suddenly, fast incoming headlights appeared in his rear-view mirror.

 

He could immediately tell that it was a model of car designed with pop-up headlights with how square-ish the light source was; but in the dark of the night - he could not tell the exact model of the car.

 

… until he slowed down for a S-turn corner he hadn’t quite gotten the hang of; and the other car overtook him instantly without braking for the initial gentle right-hand turn.

 

Initially, Katsuki thought that the other driver was suicidal and had no care for his own safety as the car started to drift due to excess speed while turning the gentle right corner.

 

Then his headlights properly illuminated the car now ahead of him: It was a Toyota. Not an MR2, not a Chaser; no, the car in question was a 14 year old AE86 - a Sprinter Trueno.

 

And all of a sudden, the car ahead of him swung its tail around and drifted flawlessly through the next tight left hairpin bend at an incomprehensible speed - then Katsuki realised then, that the initial right-turn drift was a set-up for the next corner - shifting the weight from the left side of the car to the right by letting off the gas and turning the wheel to swing the car around.

 

And because he had been so shocked by the sight; he lost control of his car as he braked a little too late for the hairpin left - spinning to a stop and stalling the engine.

 

Whoever was the driver - had to know the road like the back of their hands.

 

Later that day after going home frustrated and slept angrily; he went around everywhere to try to locate 3-door Truenos near Mount Haruna.

 

His sources had been able to mark down 5 owners of white-and-black AE86s in Shibukawa City so far.

 

Which run was he on now? He had lost count - and the fuel gauge needle indicated that he had less than an eighth of a tank left as he drove the car to the peak of the mountain; completing another round.

 

He’ll have to call it a day and fill up the tank - but in order to do that, he had to turn around and drive downhill.

 

So that’s what he did, sending his yellow RX-7 charging down the roads of Mount Haruna, with the almost empty fuel tank leaving the car to feel lighter and more energetic.

 

He had to find this white two-tone, panda Trueno and beat the shit out of its driver in the downhill of Haruna - where he lost - with an indisputable victory.

* * *

 


	2. A Call To Rematch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bakugou Katsuki is out looking for the driver of the mysterious white-and-black AE86 Trueno that beat him.

* * *

A familiar-looking yellow Mazda RX-7 pulled into the Esso gas station that Midoriya Izuku worked at part-time, and it took him a moment to realise who and what it was.

 

Competition Yellow Mica Mazda RX-7 - model code FD3S - means Kacchan - also known as the one he outdrove two days ago. And Kacchan - Bakugou Katsuki - usually meant anger.

 

His other two colleagues - Kirishima Eijirou and Kaminari Denki were currently busy with other customers in the gas station - so he - Midoriya Izuku - had to be the one to tend to Bakugou Katsuki.

 

Red eyes looking through the rolled-down window widened with recognition as Izuku walked up to the driver-side door of his car.

 

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE SHITTY NERD?!” came the exclamation from the blond driver, causing Izuku to wince and give a sheepish grin in response.

 

“H-hello, Kacchan-”

 

“ _KACCHAN_!?”

 

“-what kind of fuel would you like?” he tried his best to smile as Katsuki made a ‘tch’ in annoyance - he hadn’t even mean to call him that nickname, but it had come naturally to him.

 

“High-fucking-octane, full tank, damn stupid nerd.” he glared sharply with a frown. “Open your eyes, this is a damn sports car, fucking idiot nerd. I thought you made notes about cars n’ shit; shitty Deku!”

 

“... right.” Izuku responded as he grabbed the right pump and unscrewed the fuel cap to insert the pump - he hadn’t heard the word ‘Deku’ in years.

 

He pulled the trigger to start the pumping of premium-grade, high-octane gasoline.

 

“... you know anything about an Eight-Six that drives Haruna?” asked Katsuki while Izuku left the pump in, and the green-haired boy tensed up slightly.

 

He turned his head to look at Katsuki - he had a look that told Izuku that he wasn’t happy with losing a few mornings ago and that he was looking for revenge for the loss.

 

“... maybe.” replied Izuku as he picked up a cloth for the windscreen-wiping service as he began walking towards the A-pillar of the car.

 

“Don’t _fuck_ with me, Deku.” growled Katsuki, but his face said that he was looking forward to finding out about the AE86.

 

“... it's an Eight-Six Trueno in High-Tech Two-Tone, right?” asked Izuku, moving the cloth back and forth to clean the windshield.

 

“Yeah.” Katsuki was annoyed at how the nerd used Toyota’s actual name for something so simple as white-and-black. “Tell me already, you fucker.”

 

“I will, Kacchan.” Izuku pulled out the pump and kept it after the tank was full, then walked towards the driver’s door on the right side of the Mazda and extended out his hand towards the blond. “It’s a car owned by a tofu shop located around the commercial district.”

 

“Tch. Okay.” grumbled the blond as he passed the other a cashcard, and the gas station part-timer left to settle the payment for the blond.

 

He started up his car - making the 13B twin-turbo rotary engine roar back to life - and prepared to leave for the commercial district by getting a map out from his glove-box as Izuku passed him back his card.

 

“A tofu shop, Kacchan.” reminded Izuku before he rolled up his window and set off into the main street.

 

He didn’t see the nervous breathing and panic (and jumping due to the overwhelm of emotions) made by the green-haired boy after he left.

 

...

 

Around an hour later; after driving through every single little street of 2 different shopping districts in Shibukawa, Katsuki finally found what he was looking for, and he wasn’t happy with what he found.

 

He was supposed to be fucking smirking in the knowledge that he knew who and where the Eight-Six belonged to, but no; he wasn’t.

 

No, he was not happy at all. He was angry.

 

He was fucking _furious_.

 

He frowned at the white-and-black, ordinary-looking Eight-Six parked _innocently_ beside the shophouse with the plastic awning labelled ‘Midoriya Tofu Shop’ - looking _as if_ it didn’t completely beat him and his car a few days ago in a certain section of Haruna.

 

He looked on the sticker on the driver-side door: ‘Midoriya Tofu Shop’ - it said.

 

Midoriya. Tofu. Shop.

 

 _Midoriya_.

 

As in, _Midoriya Izuku_.

 

...

 

THAT FUCKING DEKU WAS GOING TO DIE!

 

* * *

 

 

The sun was beginning to set.

 

Izuku had spent the last two hours trying to get ready for the confrontation he created before Katsuki came back to the gas station and demanded his head on a silver platter.

 

Currently, the workers at the empty gas station were making small talk regarding every little thing and especially about _cars_ ; before their conversation had to be cut short because of squealing tyres and roaring rotary engine.

 

Midoriya Izuku steeled himself as he watched the familiar yellow sports Mazda separate from the traffic from the main avenue and pull in erratically into the gas station with reckless abandon.

 

“Fucking DEKU!”

 

This time, he yelled loud enough for his voice to _reverberate_ in the tiny gas station - an _open_ space - to capture the attention of Denki and Eijirou, who watched as the pissed off blond left the car running and the door open after he stepped out.

 

Luckily, there were no other customers around in the gas station.

 

“Hey, what’s going on, Izuku?” asked the red-haired boy with spiky waxed hair that was slightly older than him by 2 years as he recognised the driver.

 

“I’ll deal with this, Kirishima-senpai.” replied the green-haired boy as he walked towards the blond stampeding towards him.

 

“Explain yourself, you shitty FUCKING nerd!” Bakugou Katsuki was really, _really_ pissed off as he stopped in front of the other boy. “Were _you_ the one driving that day?! In the Eight-Six?!”

 

He swallowed before answering. “... yes.”

 

“FUCK YOU, DEKU!” exploded the blond in blinding rage while pointing an accusing finger at the source of his anger. “IT’S YOUR HOME COURSE, RIGHT? LETS FUCKING RACE AGAIN AND WE’LL SEE WHO’S FUCKING BETTER! I’M GONNA FUCKING BEAT THE SHIT OUTTA YOU!”

 

Then he got back into his FD and pulled up next to him with his windows rolled down in order to shout at the boy. “This Saturday in _Haruna_ at 10pm, on the _downhill_! Don’t be fucking late!”

 

And he left the gas station for the second time that day. The two other workers at the gas station stared as the yellow car peeled out and drove out into the main avenue, then looked back at the green-haired boy.

 

“Katsuki...” mumbled Eijirou as he watched the RX-7 drove away further down the avenue. “Izuku, how did you know him?”

 

“That was a declaration of challenge, Izuku!” stated Denki - who loved cars but didn’t have one - excitedly with wide eyes. “I didn’t know you raced!”

 

“He’s a very good driver, Izuku.” said Eijirou with a slight pout of confusion, who was also a RedSuns member and drives a red Nissan Silvia S14. “You raced him before?”

 

Izuku grinned nervously; he had a long story to tell.

* * *

 


	3. Countdown To Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle between Katsuki and Izuku begins.

* * *

“Mom, can I use the car this Saturday night?” asked Izuku as he entered his home after his part-time job.

 

“Sure - I’m not using the car.” Midoriya Inko gave her permission. “But why Saturday night?”

 

“I… uh…” the green-haired son thought quickly. “I met a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time, and they suggested meeting up, so...”

 

“I see…” Midoriya Inko pondered for a while - nightlife usually meant drinking, right? “Are you going to hang out at a club?”

 

“No! Nothing like that, mom!” replied Izuku with wide-open, shocked eyes. A club? He already said he was driving! “We’re just… going for a drive. I can’t drive when I’m drunk.”

 

Drunk drivers had always been a sore topic in the Midoriya household after the ‘Incident’.

 

“Okay then, I’m glad that you grown into a responsible adult, Izuku.” smiled the green-haired mother. “Dinner’s ready; your favourite Katsudon!”

 

Izuku face brightened at mention of Katsudon.

  


* * *

 

  


Two street racers from RedSuns sat at a table with a window view over the parking lot in a family cafe. Specifically; the top two drivers of the mentioned racing team.

 

They both met up to drink coffee and discuss about a challenge thrown out to a certain white-and-black AE86 owned by a certain tofu shop in the afternoon.

 

“You issued a challenge?” came the monotonous, but amused voice of Todoroki Shouto. “Against an Eight-Six?”

 

“Fuck you.” shot back the blond teen towards his racing team leader. “You of all people should know that the fucking driver works a car, not the other way around.”

 

“I know, which is why I’m impressed.” replied Shouto impassively as he crossed his leg as he sat in the chair and took a hold on the ear of his cup. “An Eight-Six is a difficult car to master.”

 

“It outputted around 150 horses at max.” growled Katsuki after he took a sip from his coffee. “But it completely beaten my FD.”

 

“I see…” Todoroki Shouto also took a drink out of his own coffee cup. “Haruna’s Eight-Six must have a good driver.”

 

Bakugou Katsuki said nothing, instead opting to stare out the window at what he thought was his beautiful yellow FD3S; decked out in A-Spec bumpers and rear-wing while sporting black MS-02 rims as it sat perfectly parked in the lot right next to a white FC3S with a Corksport Odura front bumper, a small hood scoop and sporting black Watanabe F8s.

 

They both drove powerful cars capable of outputting more than 300 horsepowers; but to be outran by an Eight-Six that couldn’t even do half of that was… worrying - it meant that Midoriya Izuku might really be a very, _very_ fast driver.

 

But to bring a machine that was half-assed to a real battle of skills… was a little insulting.

 

“I’m interested.” the red-and-white haired man spoke in a tone that did not indicate interest at all. “If you don’t manage to beat the Eight-Six; I want to take them on.”

 

“Fuck you.” spat the blond, glaring daggers at the other’s heterochromatic eyes. “I’m gonna fucking win this time.”

  


* * *

 

  


Two days quickly passed by and now came Saturday.

 

Midoriya Izuku sat in the driver’s seat of his AE86 and fired up the car; making the naturally-aspirated 150 HP 4-AG engine sing a nice purr as it drunk high-octane. Then, he glanced at the digital clock; which stated that it was 35 minutes past nine.

 

‘Perfect.’ he thought. He already knew with his experience that he was going to get to the top of Haruna at exactly 21:58, with the margin of error of around 2 minutes - give or take, depending on the traffic.

  


* * *

 

  


“Wow. Sure is crowded here.” commented Kaminari Denki as he walked down the side of the mountain road with Kirishima Eijirou while looking at the impressive number of spectators. “Didn’t expect that.”

 

“Of course it’s crowded.” explained Eijirou as he picked a spot to spectate the race at - the third corner of the five consecutive hairpins of Haruna. “The number-two of RedSuns is racing tonight.”

 

As if his statement was the cue for their arrival, the roar of rotary engines could now be heard from where they stood. With the sound announcing their approach, two Mazdas appeared from around a hairpin-corner at a speed that experienced people would say was a ‘cruising’ pace.

 

It was RedSuns’s Rotary Brothers - Todoroki Shouto and Bakugou Katsuki, and the latter’s yellow FD was leading.

 

Denki and Eijirou watched as the yellow leading car began to swing its tail way before the corner at a speed too high for the corner, drifting the car into the hairpin bend with a sharp countersteer - with the chasing white FC pulling off the exact same move.

 

“Watch out!” screamed someone standing right in front of the incoming cars; protected by only the guardrail from a crash.

 

Eijirou huffed at the reaction which obviously came from someone who knew nothing.

 

The FD suddenly reduced its countersteer angle, allowing the car to increase its drift angle and scraped off all of its excess momentum with friction from its four tyres, slowing the car down enough at the right time to drift through the corner beautifully with the FC right next to it in precise mirrored movement; side-by-side and door-to-door with the leading car.

 

It was a beautiful parallel drift.

 

Within moments; the show was over for the spectators on that corner as the two cars exited the corner and set up for the next.

 

“... Dude, that was amazing.” spoke a stunned Kaminari Denki who had never seen two cars drift like that up close before on the streets.

 

“That was just a show for the spectators.” grinned Kirishima Eijirou. “RedSuns’s top twos are really, really strong.”

 

“Do you think Izuku can beat Bakugou Katsuki?” wondered Denki. “It seems pretty impossible.”

 

“It does seem impossible.” agreed the red-haired boy. “He’s only driving an Eight-Six…”

  


* * *

 

  


“I know you’re waiting for another car.” spoke the leader of a local team that drove Haruna. “But if they don’t show up; will the Speed Stars be allowed to race?”

 

“NO!” shouted Bakugou Katsuki. “I’m not gonna race any of you extras!”

 

They had been waiting for around 20 minutes; and the crowds watched in confusion and wonder as they saw no other car parked at the starting line for the downhill race of Haruna other than the Competition Yellow Mica FD3S of Bakugou Katsuki.

 

This race was a special phenomenon to everyone currently in Mount Haruna - because the RedSuns hadn’t even challenged the team from Haruna itself: they only knew that someone was being challenged; and they didn’t know who.

 

If the Speed Stars team of Haruna (which honestly had no good drivers and led by someone named Ojiro Mashirao) weren’t the one being challenged, then who was?

 

“He’s gonna be fucking late.” grumbled Bakugou Katsuki as he leaned against the door of his FD after parking it on the startling line. He checked his watch to reveal that it was 2 minutes before ten. “Shitty _Deku_ …”

 

“Do you know the driver of the Eight-Six?” asked Shouto who sat on the guardrail next to Katsuki’s car. “You seem to mention ‘Deku’ a lot.”

 

“Tch.” a noise of annoyance. “Yeah; I know the guy. A childhood extra.”

 

The red-and-white haired boy gave a raised eyebrow at the comment.

 

“Must be a really special ‘extra’, if he could beat you easily with no more than half the amount of horsepowers you have.” spoke the RedSuns leader with nonchalance. “And can remain in your head for more than 3 days-”

 

“Listen here, you fucking asshole.” Bakugou Katsuki glared at the other. “I lost only because I was unfamiliar with the track; okay?”

 

Todoroki Shouto gave a small, unnoticeable smirk.

 

“Sure.”

 

Before the blond could respond to the taunt, they were interrupted.

 

“Shouto!” came the voice of Iida Tenya - the logistical man in the RedSuns team as he passed the leader a walkie-talkie. “Listen to this.”

 

“A car had just passed by the finishing line.” spoke a voice from the other side of the radio. “It looks pretty ordinary, so I don’t think it’s the car you’re looking for.

 

Hearing the words spoken, Bakugou Katsuki grew pissed and snatched the walkie-talkie over from the grip of Todoroki Shouto.

 

“WHAT FUCKING CAR IS IT, YOU ASSHOLE!” screamed the angry blond into the receiver. “I TOLD YOU TO REPORT _EVERY_ SINGLE CAR THAT ENTERS THIS FUCKING PLACE!”

 

“... Well…” hesitated the voice. “It was a car with retractable headlights, but it’s a slow one. White-and-black, it’s a panda Trueno.”

 

Bakugou Katsuki smirked evilly.

 

“It’s here.”

 

The sound of a four-cylinder engine revving at around 5000 RPM filled the air of Mount Haruna - announcing the presence of a Toyota AE86 in it.

 

It drove at a normal traffic pace of around 40 to 50 km/h up the mountain pass.

 

It approached a corner and drove around the bend, keeping to a neat line - to the untrained eye, it might look ordinary; but not to Tokoyami Fumikage, who stood observing next to his 1994 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II, also known as a BNR32.

 

“Pretty good skills.” commented Fumikage as he watched the Eight-Six drive away, causing his teammates around him to feel confusion.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“To us, it looks like any random kid’s cheapo Eight-Six.”

 

“Hmph.” the leader of NightKids huffed. “That's why you guys are still struggling. Good drivers can control their car like their own hands and feet - that Eight-Six is going to be very, very fast.

 

… perhaps even faster than Bakugou Katsuki…” he trailed off as his teammates looked at him as if he lost a screw in his head.

 

Meanwhile, the AE86 approached the peak of the mountain, and the crowd began to make noise and speculations as the car was noticed by Iida Tenya, and was being moved into position at the starting line.

 

“What is that?”

 

“An Eight-Six?”

 

“We’ve been waiting for that heap of junk?”

 

The crowds watched in utter confusion as the 14-year-old Toyota took its position next to the 1992 yellow FD3S updated with 1996 A-Spec parts; and the confusion doubled when they saw the young driver open the door and step out of the car.

 

“He’s looks young!”

 

Bakugou Katsuki smirked at the boy who was 2 years younger than him.

 

It was time for his revenge.

* * *

 


	4. Showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deku vs. Kacchan.

* * *

 

“You’re late, Deku!” Katsuki frowned at the other. “Fucking get back in your car and lets race already.”

 

“R-right.” stuttered the green-haired boy nervously as he returned into the driver’s seat, causing Katsuki to do the same with his own car.

 

It was 22:01, and Iida Tenya took both their actions of getting into their cars as his cue to start the race - he stretched his right hand up high into the air and held up all five fingers.

 

“Start in 5 seconds!”

 

Ignitions whirred and engines roared to life - the sound of inline-4 and wankel revving mixed in the air; along with the murmurs of still-confused crowds wondering exactly why in the world Katsuki would bother racing a shitty old, ordinary-looking AE86.

 

“5!”

 

“4!” Two sets of pop-up headlights flipped open.

 

“3!”

 

“2!”

 

“1!” Engines revved to the optimal launching speed.

 

“GO!”

 

The two rear-wheel-drive cars spun their driving wheels as they flew off the starting line with loud squealing sounds.

 

And immediately after they set off the starting line, the difference in power was made known to everyone as the yellow FD3S steadily pulled out in front of the panda AE86.

 

“350 horses are no joke! Maybe the Eight-Six should’ve tuned his car for a real race!”

 

Todoroki Shouto frowned slightly as he leaned on the driver-side door of his FC while observing the launch of the two cars from a standstill.

 

Katsuki was right: the Eight-Six did output around 150 horses at best. But another thing he noticed was the close gear ratios of the AE86 as it shifted gears while accelerating - the gears must have been set up to be perfect for the five consecutive hairpins of Haruna.

 

Other than that, he noticed the similarity of gear stretch on the second gears of both cars, meaning that the AE86 with lower power could have pulled more use out of the gear - but that couldn’t be all that allowed the car to beat Katsuki and his FD.

 

It wasn’t the car at all - Shouto concluded - it had to be the driver that the blond named 'Deku'.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Izuku watched as the powerful FD3S pulled out easily in front of him as he shifted into his third gear.

 

The brake lights of the FD far ahead of him turned on as it approached the first corner way ahead of him, and soon disappeared from his field of vision as it turned into the left corner; backfiring as it downshifted.

 

Izuku knew it didn’t matter right now if he was left behind now as he could probably catch up later - that was how their first ‘race’ went, anyway.

 

Hearing his car’s 4-AGE engine roar at 7600 RPM, he shifted into fourth.

 

The approaching AE86 quickly dived into the first corner. Izuku braked at the very last moment he knew was possible, downshifted with heel-and-toe technique from fourth into second gear and swung the car for a drift into the left turn; charging into the corner at a higher speed than what Katsuki achieved.

 

“... that was a great entrance speed!” spoke a shocked spectating RedSuns member into a walkie-talkie. “The Eight-Six came in at an incredible speed, and exited the corner nearly touching the guardrail!”

 

Kirishima Eijirou and Kaminari Denki both heard the radio transmission as they were near a RedSuns member that was holding the communicating device.

 

“Looks like Izuku might have a chance in this race.” smiled the S14 owner towards the yellow-haired boy after hearing the report. “We might have a race worth watching today!”

 

“Man, if Izuku wins this…” Denki began to feel hyped, and brought his hands up in a fist to the front of his chest. “I’m gonna ask him to take me for a ride in his Eight-Six!”

 

“As long as he can give Katsuki a good fight,” replied Eijirou as he looked towards the top of the mountain. “It's no shame losing in an underpowered Eight-Six against an FD.”

 

Bakugou Katsuki felt a sudden, slight panic when he saw familiar headlights accompanied with yellow fog-lights reflect from his rearview mirror - signalling the approach of the chasing Eight-Six.

 

“What the… fuck.” he couldn’t say anything more as he approached the next corner, requiring him to brake and turn into the next corner.

 

The headlights of the chasing AE86 disappeared for a while after he rounded the corner, but it appeared again soon after; seeming even closer to his car than a few seconds ago.

 

The Eight-Six was closing in on him - a 14 year old AE86; with only 150 horses under the hood; catching up to his street-tuned, 350 HP FD3S?

 

This cannot be happening.

 

Katsuki felt familiar anger and frustration rise up in the pit of his stomach. He pushed down the accelerator with his right foot as if his life depended on it as he exited another corner.

 

Meanwhile; Izuku - who was chasing some distances behind the leading car; felt a slight relief as his theory of catching up later was proven right and right now - happening right in front of him as he charged into a hairpin corner.

 

He was indeed, getting closer and closer to the yellow RX-7 in front of him and he began to feel more and more thrilled about reeling in the leading car and pulling it closer towards his own car.

 

It was two more hairpins and then, it will be a long straightaway leading to a left-handed compound corner; then towards a series of twists and turns that will allow him to catch up.

 

The yellow car ahead of him was getting closer and closer to him as it needed to brake earlier than his AE86, and they both dove into the right hairpin corner with the Eight-Six gaining on the entry.

 

Downshifting into second gear, the weight of the car shifted forward when he braked and the rear tyres lost a little grip after he released the clutch pedal, sending the AE86 into a large-angle drift into the right-handed corner. He caught up the FD as he nearly touched the rear bumper of the leading car when they left the corner.

 

The Mazda pulled a little forward due to the tiny straight before the next corner, but was forced to brake again; allowing the AE86 to catch up even more as the Eight-Six - the lighter car - had less inertia to deal with; allowing it to brake later than the leading car.

 

They both left the corner with the AE86 sticking right on the FD3S’s rear bumper as the leading car accelerated erratically out of the corner.

 

“The Eight-Six is unbelievably fast!” exclaimed a RedSuns member into their walkie-talkie. “This is the straightaway leading to the observatory! Haruna’s Eight-Six is right on Katsuki’s bumper!”

 

Todoroki Shouto smiled after he listened to the report; and decided to get into his FC3S to leave the place - he had heard enough; and he could already see the outcome of the race.

 

The white-and-red haired man finally had something to look forward to.

 

* * *

  
  


“I think they’re approaching here soon.” spoke Denki after he began to hear faint tyre squeals from a distance.

 

“They sound close together.” stated Eijirou after closely listening to the pattern of the tyre squeals.

 

“How do you know that?” asked the yellow-haired boy.

 

“The sound of the skidding tyres start and stop at the same time; listen.” he said, and the other boy tried to listen out for it, and his eyes widened at the realisation.

 

“You’re right!”

 

“That means Izuku might even win this race.” smiled Eijirou as he looked at the road expectantly. “I wonder how he managed to catch up in such a car.”

  
  


* * *

 

 

Izuku’s AE86 was right on the tail of Katsuki’s FD3S as they turned the corner to reveal the beginning of the five consecutive hairpin corners of Haruna.

 

This was it - but first, he needed to be close enough to make his move; and right now, he wasn’t close enough to do that.

 

The brake lights of the leading yellow Mazda lit up, and he soon followed with his own brakes as his car accelerated a little more than the leading car, allowing him to close up some distances between the cars.

 

The two cars drifted into the corners as the Eight-Six slowly gained on the FD during the corner itself, and the leading car was able to pull away a little at the exit of the turns.

 

But overall, both drivers knew that the Eight-Six was faster through the corners as they drifted through the second hairpin.

 

This was it - he had closed up the gap, and now it is time for him to surpass Bakugou Katsuki on the downhill of Haruna.

 

He watched as the FD ahead of him set up for the next right hairpin - the third hairpin - moving to the left side of the road so that he could maximise entry speed.

 

But instead of following the ‘ideal’ racing line, Midoriya Izuku positioned his AE86 on the right side of the road - which to the audience - looked incredibly stupid as it meant he was sacrificing entry speed.

 

The brake lights of the yellow sports car turned on, and the AE86 braked only a little to get just the right speed to execute his move without losing control.

 

Kirishima Eijirou and Kaminari Denki watched as the AE86 took an incomprehensible line into the corner, and didn’t slow down for the corner as much as he needed to - the Eight-Six was going to crash straight into the guardrail at this rate!

 

“What the fuck are you doing, shitty Deku?!” exclaimed Katsuki angrily from the inside of his car as he sent his Mazda drifting into the slow right-hand corner all the while glaring at the panda Trueno that was now next to him, overspeeding dangerously into the corner.

 

‘THUMP!’

 

“What the fuck…?!” the blond-haired driver watched as he heard a weird sound; and the AE86 drove past his window and overtook him on the far inside of the corner - and his car was  _ gripping _ onto the road like it was on rails instead of understeering horridly and crashing into the fucking guardrail.

 

In the span of two seconds, Haruna’s Eight-Six had overtook Bakugou Katsuki’s FD.

 

In the midst of a hairpin corner.

 

Kirishima Eijirou and Kaminari Denki watched in shock and confusion as Midoriya Izuku’s Eight-Six took the lead, and began to pull away from the now-chasing FD3S of Bakugou Katsuki as they charged through the remaining hairpin corners.

 

And currently, everyone who stood watching in the third hairpin of Haruna was asking the same question in their heads:

 

… what the fuck just happened…?

 

The driver of the black BNR32 stared with narrowed eyes, at the line which the AE86 just took, right in front of him - trying to reflect and understand what just happened.

 

When he saw what he needed, Tokoyami Fumikage gave a small smirk as he got into his GT-R and started it up, allowing the RB26 engine to sing to the crowds.

 

‘Watch out, Haruna’s Eight-Six.’ thought the leader of NightKids. ‘I know your tricks and I’ll be the one to defeat you.’

 

He drove out onto the road and began making his way down the mountain at a traffic pace.

 

And a few minutes later; the victory of Haruna’s Eight-Six against Akagi’s FD was announced through the walkie-talkies.

 

Bakugou Katsuki lost his rematch; while Midoriya Izuku set a new course record in the RedSuns's books.

* * *

 


	5. The Dark Shadow of Myougi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The recent win makes Izuku the target of another top-class racer of Gunma.

* * *

Later that night - after midnight and after all the spectators went back home - the top two drivers of Akagi’s RedSuns had arrived back in Mount Haruna after Katsuki told Shouto about the details of the race, and the unexplainable overtake pulled off by the Eight-Six driven by ‘Deku’.

 

Parked at the side of the road were the two generations of RX-7 owned by them.

 

“It happened here.” said Katsuki as they walked up to the inside edge of the third hairpin corner of the five consecutive hairpin corners. “He drove through here like… as if he was on fucking  _ rails _ or some shit.”

 

Hearing the statement, Shouto walked closer to the edge. He looked down on the road closely and carefully, as best as he could in the dark night, trying to make out any details while handicapped by the lack of light.

 

And after a few seconds, he noticed the difference in height between the road and… a drainage gutter?

 

‘This is getting interesting.’ he thought as he felt a small smile fight its way onto his face, and turned to look at the blond-haired man who was looking anywhere else but the road.

 

“Would you like to know how you lost?” Shouto looked at the blond who rolled his eyes in annoyance and put his hands into his pockets aggressively.

 

“Fucking get on with it already.”

 

The red-and-white haired boy then extended a finger, and pointed down.

 

“He used this.” he stated simply, as Katsuki allowed his eyes to be guided by the finger pointing down at the road.

 

...

 

“A… fucking drainage ditch?!”

 

“Yes. The Eight-Six probably drove on a line that allowed his inside tyres to drop into the gutter and catch on to the side of the ditch, using it as a leverage to reduce the effects of centrifugal force, allowing him to turn at a higher speed. It may sound simple and easy to pull off, but I’m sure that the Eight-Six had practiced for a long time on Haruna to be able to execute the move on you without a second thought.”

 

…

 

“FUCKING SHIT!” Bakugou Katsuki slammed the heel of his right foot onto the guardrail, causing it to ring out with a slam. “FUCK!” came another cuss.

 

“Well, this is what makes street racing so interesting; you definitely don’t see these things happen on a race track.” stated an amused Todoroki Shouto. “The Eight-Six is a target that is definitely worth my time.”

 

“... you saying that you wanna race him?”

 

They met eyes.

 

“Yes.”

 

Settling what they needed to see; the two rotary engine operators left the mountains of Haruna.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


A certain Esso gas station broke into an uproar (which was actually impressive as it was caused by only two human beings named Denki and Eijirou) after Midoriya Izuku reported for his shift and was immediately glomped by his two colleagues.

 

“You’re famous, Izuku!” the yellow-haired boy clapped his shoulder almost painfully in excitement.

 

“Katsuki was real pissed last night!” shared Eijirou with a smile.

 

“Oh! Why didn’t you stay after the race?” asked Denki.

 

“Was I supposed to stay?” asked Izuku, confusion clear on his face.

 

“Well, no, but…” the red-haired boy began to explain. “People usually do, most of the time.”

 

“I see…”

 

“But I guess you wouldn’t have stayed anyway to deal with an explosive Bakugou Katsuki out of his FD.” stated the red-haired man.

 

“Actually-”

 

“Stop slacking and get to work!” reprimanded their manager - Aizawa Shouta - as he opened the doors from his office, annoyed at the noise produced by his employees.

 

“Yes sir!” shouted three voices along with frantic picking up of brooms.

 

“Hey Izuku.” whispered Denki as he swept the floor right next to him. “You think you can take me out for a ride around Haruna sometime?”

 

“I… guess I can… maybe this Saturday?”

 

“Hey, count me in too!” Eijirou smiled.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Hey, isn’t that…?”

 

“Yeah… Todoroki Shouto…”

 

“It’s only been a day since the race; I guess the loss of RedSuns really hurt quite a bit, they’re the fastest team in Gunma after all...”

 

“Yeah… to an Eight-Six; no less…”   
  


Todoroki Shouto drove up the roads of Haruna in his white FC3S, studying the course for himself what he couldn’t do in a computer programme.

 

He took each corner slowly (slow for his own pace, to others it looked fast enough) - allowing himself to analyse how each corner interacted with the previous and the next.

 

Of course; this was the uphill layout; and he was going to race the Eight-Six downhill eventually; but it didn’t hurt to know more; as a road almost always goes two ways.

 

Rectangular-shaped headlights suddenly appeared in his rear-view mirror; signalling the fast approach of an incoming car catching up to him - with what he could see of the very unique light design - it was probably an R32 GT-R.

 

He decided to let off the gas to allow the car to catch up faster; as he was curious about the abilities of the chasing car - who now began to flash his headlights at his FC.

 

‘Good.’ he thought, as he downshifted and stepped on the gas, deciding to go at a pace of around 80% at most; if the other could keep up, then they’re probably pretty good.

 

The two powerful cars quickly approached the next corner - a right-handed hairpin, and Shouto threw his FC into the corner with a flawlessly executed zero-countersteer drift; turning the car with weight-shifting, as the GT-R behind braked and shifted its weight to the front of the car so it could grip the road better.

 

‘Not bad.’ thought Shouto as he exited the corner, seeing that the GT-R could keep up with no issues.

 

Meanwhile, in the driver’s seat of the black Nissan, Fumikage had similar thoughts - thinking that he could keep up with the number-one of RedSuns without much issues on the uphill.

 

The two cars drove uphill right up to the peak at the same pace; and soon the hazard lights of the FC3S turned on to signal that he was going to pull into the road divide at the peak of the mountain; as the GT-R just parked on the road itself instead of following the FC.

 

They both left their cars running.

 

“I’m Todoroki Shouto from RedSuns.” stated the red-and-white haired boy simply as he gotten out of his white Mazda to face the other driver who stood by his own car. “Who are you?”

 

“Tokoyami Fumikage of the NightKids.” he introduced himself. “A team from Myougi.”

 

“... NightKids...” stated Shouto impassively. “... aren’t you the fastest driver in Myougi?”

 

“An honour to be recognised by the super-star Todoroki Shouto.” smirked the driver of the R32 as he crossed his arms.

 

“But, I’ve heard that Tokoyami Fumikage drove an S13, if I remember correctly.” said the leader of RedSuns as he looked at the black Nissan GT-R that was sat idling.

 

A slight, shocked expression was expressed by Fumikage.

 

“Well, it doesn’t matter.” spoke Shouto again. “What’s a racer from Myougi doing in Haruna?”

 

“You’re one to talk; you belong to Akagi.” asserted the Nissan driver as he leaned on the boot of his car. “Anyway, didn’t we come here for the same reason? To meet Haruna’s Eight-Six?”

 

“You’re trying to get a race against an Eight-Six in a 380 HP Three-Two?”

 

“What?” Tokoyami Fumikage wondered exactly how did the other know about the horsepower rating of his GT-R.

 

“I can tell.” stated Shouto impassively as he lit up a cigarette. “On the uphill, the Eight-Six will lose; obviously, but you have no chance on the downhill of Haruna.”

 

“... you’re saying my Three-Two will lose to the Eight-Six on the downhill?” frowned the operator of the RB26 engine.

 

“Don’t take it personally. I’m just saying what I think.” the red-and-white haired male blew out smoke from his mouth after inhaling from the cigarette. “You’ll understand once you race against it.”

 

“Todoroki Shouto.” he called out simply before entering his GT-R. “I’ll beat the Eight-Six and make you eat your words.”

 

…

 

The Nissan S13 - that was two years ago; and Tokoyami Fumikage had decided to change his FR Nissan to the 4WD Nissan after racing against an R32 GT-R driven by a so-so driver; he realised that his potential as a racer - who could’ve been faster - was being limited by his car.

 

All cars had their limits.

 

Even the Eight-Six.

 

But against that old Toyota, his R32 definitely had more potential.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Have you heard that Bakugou Katsuki was recently beaten by an Eight-Six?”

 

“No way!”

 

“Yeah, I heard people said it was a real junker too; plain-looking and no more than 200 horses; people call it Haruna’s Eight-Six!”

 

“That’s insane. The driver must be some kind of god.”

 

“Yeah! Next time that Eight-Six races, I want to go watch!”

 

“Count me in!”

 

It has only been two days, but talks of the sudden, mysterious new entry to Gunma’s street racing scene - Haruna’s Eight-Six - quickly became the main topic to be talked about by street racers and car enthusiasts in Gunma, as this sudden newbie managed to beat the number-two of RedSuns in a heartbeat.

 

Izuku couldn’t help but be nervous as he listened to random talks while walking down to the locker room in order to get his stuff to go home - he felt like he was scrutinised although no one knew who drove the car.

 

“I told you you’re famous, Izuku.” came the teasing voice from Kaminari Denki who went to the same school as him (and was a classmate). “People everywhere are all talking about Haruna’s Eight-Six!”

 

“Denki! Stop it-”

 

“Izuku-kun!” came a female’s voice which he recognised.

 

“Uraraka…?”

 

Before they realised what was going on, Izuku had been dragged away by the girl and Denki was left alone.

 

“I… guess I’m going to work first myself, then.”

 

And Midoriya Izuku was dragged to the rooftop by the brown-haired girl.

 

“Why did you bring me here, Uraraka?” Izuku broke the silence after he was forcibly dragged to the roof. “I need to go to work soon.”

 

“I bought a new swimsuit, Izuku-kun.” smiled the girl. “Let’s go to the beach this Sunday, okay?”

 

The green-haired boy felt blood rush to his freckled face.

 

“... sure…?”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Days passed - and soon it was Saturday - and later that night; Kirishima Eijirou followed the leading AE86 in front of him - who drove at a relaxed pace - up to the mountain peak of Haruna in his red Silvia Q’s S14.

 

“I’m so excited!” said Denki who was sitting next to him for now; as they lived close to each other and Eijirou could easily pick him up before meeting up with Izuku. “I’m gonna get a chance to sit next to Izuku when he drifts at full speed!”

 

“Tch.” smiled a mock-annoyed Kirishima Eijirou. “You always get to ride in my car, though, Denki. You saying my driving isn't good enough for you; hm?”

 

“Haha...!” The yellow-haired boy laughed with good humour. “Nothing like that; but Izuku had managed to beat Bakugou Katsuki; you know! Not even you can do that.”

 

“I guess so…”

 

Once they finally reached the top of the mountain; Kaminari Denki literally jumped out of the red Nissan S14 to become the passenger of the tofu delivery car belonging to the Midoriya family.

 

“C’mon, let’s go!” said the yellow-haired boy as he looked expectantly at Midoriya Izuku.

 

“Don’t pass out, Denki.” the red-haired boy swatted at his hair playfully; which the boy hit him back in retort.

 

They waited for the red-haired boy to get back into his car before they set off.

 

“Here we go.” calmly spoke Izuku as he shifted into the first gear and gently began accelerating the car; allowing his 4-AGE engine to sing up to the pitch of 7700 RPM before changing gears.

 

Eijirou’s Nissan could keep up easily right now; as his tuned SR20DE engine was more powerful than the Eight-Six’s with 180 horsepowers under the hood.

 

But as soon as they approached the first corner; the difference in speed was clear; as he couldn’t brake as late as Izuku could, and the Eight-Six opened up a little gap after clearing the very first corner - and it was the same story the next corner.

 

When they came up to the third corner - a right hairpin curve - Midoriya took a line that allowed him to drift in a flashy, showy way instead of a fast racing line - maneuvering his Eight-Six right up next to the outer guardrails with his rear bumper nearly touching the walls as he drifted through it as if he was in a drift show.

 

Eijirou heard a small, slight bump resonate in the guardrails as the leading car intentionally tapped the wall as it exited the corner gracefully.

 

And all of a sudden after driving a few more metres; hazard lights came on from the car in front; so they both slowed down to a stop, with Kirishima parking his S14 right behind the Eight-Six.

 

Confused; the driver of the red Silvia gotten out of his car to walk up to the driver’s door of the panda-schemed Eight-Six.

 

“What happen-” He saw the boy in the passenger seat as Izuku rolled down his manual windows. “Oh.”

 

Kaminari Denki had indeed passed out.

 

Eijirou began to laugh hysterically and took in the sight of the passed out, yellow-haired boy - who looked pathetic as he sat next to Izuku with his face pressed against the window.

 

“I think we should go home, Kirishima-senpai.”

 

“Yeah, let’s go.”

* * *

 


	6. A New Challenger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A challenge was officially issued to Midoriya Izuku; but he wasn't sure whether to take it or not.

* * *

The next day - which was a Sunday - unbeknownst to Izuku (who had went to the beach with a certain girl), a certain black BNR32 pulled into the gas station he worked at, looking like a proud black stallion in the summer afternoon.

 

“Isn’t that…?” came the question from Kaminari Denki as they both watched the pure black Nissan stop next to a gas pump with a team sticker plastered on the rear-side windows.

 

‘NightKids’ it read.

 

“Yeah.” confirmed the number-three of RedSuns. “That’s Tokoyami Fumikage of Myougi’s NightKids.”

 

Kaminari Denki went over to serve the customer as Kirishima Eijirou had to serve another car that pulled in almost right after the 1994 GT-R.

 

“High-octane, full tank.” requested the customer in the 4WD sports car, which Denki obliged.

 

“Yes sir.”

 

While waiting for his gas tank to be filled up, the driver asked another question that caused the yellow-haired boy to be a little bit nervous.

 

“I’ve been told after asking around that I can find Haruna’s Eight-Six here. Is that true?”

 

“Yes.” answered Kaminari Denki as cheerfully as he could as he wiped the windshield of the Nissan. “He’s my friend, actually, but he’s not here right now.”

 

“I see…” pondered Fumikage as he tapped his fingers on his steering wheel, looking around from his seat for a parked Eight-Six, but to no avail. “Is there a way I can get to race him?”

 

“Uh…” Denki hesitated and pouted a little after keeping the wiping towel. “I guess I can tell him about the race?”

 

The click of the pump indicated that the fuel tank of the Nissan was now full again, and Denki was handed the exact amount of money to pay for the fuel and service.

 

“Great.” the RB26DETT engine of the Nissan roared to life right after the sound of a starter motor. “Then tell him this; Saturday at 10pm on Haruna’s downhill.”

 

“...!” Denki watched as the R32 rolled up its windows and drove off to stop at the exit of the gas station, getting ready to join the traffic on the main avenue “Wait, I meant-! Come back!”

 

The black Nissan found an opening quickly and drove away before he could catch up to it on foot.

 

Shit.

 

Kaminari Denki realised the importance of phrasing your words properly after that incident, but now; he had to try and explain to Izuku about this new race out of nowhere that is going to happen on Saturday that he didn’t accept but he needed to race in.

 

Izuku  _ hated _ being forced to do things he didn’t want to.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The Midoriya family’s Eight-Six was currently parked at a parking lot near a certain beach; while its occupants were somewhere a few hundred metres away close to the sea.

 

“How do I look, Izuku-kun?” asked Uraraka Ochako as she spun around while sporting her new swimsuit - she had the build of the average girl - edging a little to the leaner side. “Is it good?”

 

“It’s… okay, I guess.” said Izuku; who experienced nervousness around girls; and being exposed to an almost-naked girl only wearing a swimsuit was not helping him control his nerves.

 

But instead of being nervous; Midoriya Izuku found himself being pulled into a reflection of his own memories of the race on Haruna’s downhill against Bakugou Katsuki’s FD3S, and how with every single little inch he gained on the other car; he himself got a little more excitement out of chasing the car ahead.

 

He never really thought of driving as fun before, as he always did it for his family business, and the only reason why he accepted the race from Kacchan at that time was because…

 

“Izuku-kun!” Ochako had poked the a little harshly boy on his right arm, causing him to jump out of his thoughts. “How mean of you to space out in your own world when going out with a girl…!”

 

“Ah! I’m sorry!”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“A race against a Three-Two?” came a confused voice from Midoriya Izuku after he reported to work the next day, which was a Monday after class.

 

Kaminari Denki had immediately - literally - jumped at him to start the conversation that he apparently, desperately needed to have since school hours, but didn’t have the chance.

 

“I beg you, Izu-kun!” the yellow-haired boy put his hands together and begged. Denki  _ always _ called him Izu-kun when he  _ really _ needed help with something. “I’m very sorry about this!”

 

“I…” Izuku was conflicted. “I can’t accept the race, Denki.”

 

“Why?!”

 

“It’s too sudden.” he explained with a slight frown. “I’ll have to think about it.”

 

“P-please do, Izu-kun!”

 

So that was what he had been doing these past few days - thinking about whether or not he should accept the challenge given out by someone named Tokoyami Fumikage who drove a BNR32.

 

Even now, three days later after he known about the incident, during his morning delivery run at 4 A.M. up Haruna after loading the Eight-Six with boxes of tofu; he was still thinking.

 

He wasn’t really a street racer… was he? And to accept a challenge just because he had to?

 

He dislikes that.

 

He had been absentmindedly driving up the mountain at delivery speed - on auto-pilot - while he had been thinking and considering his options; until he noticed something out of the ordinary after rounding a hairpin corner leading to a short straightaway - a parked car with its headlights on, and the hazard lights blinking while blocking the left lane (the correct side) of the road.

 

But as he got closer and slowed down his car to a stop; he noticed that the taillights were indeed, very familiar.

 

It was the taillights of an FD3S - and his suspicions were confirmed after his car’s headlights illuminated the car ahead while he pulled to a stop with the clutch engaged; revealing the Competition Yellow Mica Mazda RX-7 of Bakugou Katsuki - with the driver himself standing outside right next to the driver’s door.

 

He shifted his car into neutral, pulled the handbrake and unbuckled his seatbelt to get out of the car, while the blond driver walked up to his AE86.

 

“This is around the time when I met you here, Deku.” stated Katsuki simply and calmly as he walked into the illumination of his lights. “I hear you’re going to race Tokoyami of the NightKids.”

 

“I’m… not sure if I will race, Kacchan.” came the unexpected response.

 

“What?” a frown appeared on the other’s face.

 

“I wasn’t the one who accepted the challenge, Kacchan.” explained Izuku, before reiterating, “I don’t think I’ll race.”

 

“Why the fuck not?” the blond-haired man was beginning to get annoyed, and pointed a finger at the other. “If he challenged you; then show him that you can beat the fuck outta him!”

 

“Kacchan…” Izuku was also beginning to feel irritated from being ordered around and  _ especially  _ being shouted at so early in the morning. “Why does it even matter to you? This is between me and him-”

 

“IT MATTERS BECAUSE  _ YOU _ FUCKING BEAT _ ME _ TWICE, SHITHEAD!” screamed the Mazda driver. “So you can’t go around losing to others until  _ I _ fucking  _ beat you _ , shitty nerd!”

 

“I don’t have a reason to race!” retorted the green-haired boy.

 

“A  _ reason _ ?!” Bakugou Katsuki frowned at the response. “Does a  _ racer _ need a fucking reason to race, shitty Deku?!”

 

“If you didn’t notice; I’m  _ not _ a racer, Kacchan!”

 

“DON’T FUCK WITH ME, DEKU!” Katsuki had enough; and his anger had gotten the better of him as he grabbed the front of Izuku’s shirt and slammed him against the driver’s door of the AE86. “YOU HAVE THE FUCKING SKILLS! Nobody can drive that well unless they’re a racer, so don’t go around saying that you’re not a fucking racer, because you ARE!”

 

“I don’t drive because I want to, I-”

 

“OPEN YOUR EYES, SHITTY NERD!” Bakugou Katsuki had never been more angry in his 20 years of living. “Remember when we were kids? You said that you wanted to be a  _ racer _ like your dad!  _ YOU LOVED CARS! _ ”

 

“He died because of racing!”

 

“SO WHY THE FUCK DID YOU RACE ME?!”

 

The question hung in the air, reverberating through the mountain as the two drivers fell silent; with Midoriya Izuku’s eyes widening and locking eyes with red pupils.

 

“Because…” Midoriya Izuku looked at the neck of the other instead; because he couldn’t look into his eyes - he hadn’t seen it up close since he hit the age of 10 and the blond had to move to a surrogate family as his parents died in a car accident. “Because I missed you.”

 

He heard the other’s erratic breathing slow down and become calmer and calmer.

 

Holding onto his shirt was the boy he hadn’t seen for eight years, ever since he moved into the Todoroki household - and he had grown so much - grown into a handsome blond.

 

“... fucking race the GT-R, shitty nerd; and stop letting the past control you.” his childhood friend had let him go, walked to his FD, gotten into the driver’s seat and started up the car.

 

Revving up the rotary engine up to the redline; he popped the clutch and spun the wheel to make his car spin around to face the opposite direction, and drove at full acceleration as he went past him.

 

The wind that followed - caused by the fast car passing by - blew at him harshly afterwards.

 

Izuku watched as the other car descended the mountain and soon gotten lost into the night; leaving him standing next to his idling Eight-Six with a delivery to complete.

 

“Kacchan…”

* * *

 


	7. Time's Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku finally makes a decision on the day of the battle.

* * *

His phone - which was mounted on a particular wall of the small auto workshop located in a certain corner of Shibukawa - rang early in the morning at 8 a.m.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Uncle All-Might.” greeted Midoriya Izuku. “It’s Izuku.”

 

“Oh! Izuku! What can I do for you?” he could hear the smile in his voice. “I’ve heard you won against an FD!”

 

“Uh… about that, yeah. It’s related to that; I guess...” mumbled the green-haired boy. “... do you think you can win against a Three-Two in an Eight-Six?”

 

“I’d win against any car I raced as long as it’s on the touge.” stated Toshinori. “Why? Is your next opponent driving a Three-Two?”

 

“No, I was just... I’m just asking because I’m curious.”

 

“I see…”

 

“That’s all, I’m hanging up, Uncle.”

 

“Sure, see you.”

 

Yagi Toshinori hung up the phone as he sat in his mechanic workshop - All-Might Automobile; filled mostly with sports cars with their hoods popped open and some raised up on hydraulic lifts.

 

It was time for some last-minute servicing to be done to the Midoriya Tofu Mobile, if Izuku’s next opponent was going to be an Nissan R32 GT-R.

  


* * *

 

  


“Has he made a decision yet?” asked Kirishima Eijirou to the younger colleague of the gas station as the sun began to set.

 

“No, not yet.” whined Denki; who had been all nerves this entire week since the visit from the leader of NightKids. “Today’s the day, Eiji! What should I do?!”

 

“... if worse comes to worse; the Eight-Six won’t show up, the crowds are going to be pissed, and Haruna’s Eight Six’s reputation will be tainted to bits.”

 

“I don’t want that to happen!” cried out the yellow-haired boy. “Maybe I should… go up to the mountain tonight and apologize to everyone for the inconvenience, or something…”

 

Kirishima Eijirou looked at the other boy, as if considering his options.

 

“... if you want to do that, I’ll be right there for you.”

 

The red-haired male was immediately tackled to the ground by the other with a fierce hug; along with the cry of “Eijirou!”

 

He hugged back with a chuckle.

  


* * *

 

  


“Midoriya, I need to talk to you for a moment.” said his manager as he stood looking at the boy with a pack of cigarettes in hand.

 

“Sure.” and he stepped into the office of the gas station after the long-haired manager had entered.

 

It was the day of the match - Saturday - and Izuku was about to knock off for the day after his shift, and Denki seemed to have given up begging for him to race after a few days; which Izuku wondered why.

 

“Sit down.” he said as he sat on a couch surrounding a coffee table - the lounge area for employees - and Midoriya Izuku followed; sitting down on the couch opposite of Shouta. “I hear you’re going to race against a GT-R. Is that true?”

 

“Actually, I-”

 

“Don’t do it.” Aizawa Shouta cut short Izuku’s chance to answer. “You of all people should know about the differences between an Eight-Six and a Three-Two. You were able to beat an FD because it was rear-wheel drive; but the GT-R is a 4WD.”

 

Izuku’s eyes narrowed and he frowned slightly - Aizawa Shouta was right.

 

“You just gotten a pretty big reputation from winning against RedSuns’s number-two.” stated his manager as he lit up a cigarette. “Don’t go around wasting it. Nobody will fault you if you can’t win against an R32 in an Eight-Six.”

 

“... is a GT-R really that good?” asked Izuku - as his knowledge were all theory-based, and had no basis of reality in them. “Do I really not stand a chance against it?”

 

It was confusing to him; as Uncle Toshinori had said that it was going to be a close race - and not completely one-sided.

 

“... if you really want to find out for yourself, I can’t stop you.” said the long-haired, older man simply. “But I’m saying you should stop bailing your friends out of their mistakes sometimes.”

 

Midoriya Izuku stood up and prepared to leave - with a new determination to prove these people wrong - as Kacchan said he could beat the GT-R; and he wanted to make it happen.

 

He wanted to beat the GT-R more than ever right now; for his childhood friend who said he could.

 

“I appreciate your concern, Aizawa-san.” said the green-haired boy as he opened the door in order to leave the office of the gas station. “But I don’t care about my reputation, and I’m going to see for myself if the GT-R is really that great.”

 

Around ten seconds after the green-haired boy stepped out of the office, Aizawa Shouta visibly relaxed and an amused smile was etched on his face.

 

“He reacted exactly as Toshinori said he would.”

 

It was also time for him to leave; he wanted to see the race.

  


* * *

 

  


It was 9 P.M.

 

Midoriya Izuku had gotten back home (from the direction where he couldn’t see the parking space), and changed his clothes into something more casual and comfortable before heading to the living room to find the Toyota’s keys where it was kept in a bowl placed on top of the shoe rack.

 

Finding the key needed to start the Eight-Six, he walked outside the house - to which he was revealed to that the car was gone with the sight of the _empty_ lot, along with the significant _lack_ of a High-Tech Two-Tone 1983 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX, model code AE86 with yellow fog-lights, black Watanabe F8s and lightly-tuned engine producing 150 HP with Brembo brakes and adjustable suspensions.

 

… wait.

 

WHAT?

 

Did his mom take the car? It couldn’t be! His mother never drove the car unless it was for emergencies or long trips! And today, it was only her part-time job at the local cafe, and she wouldn’t return home until ten-thirty!

 

Where the hell did their car go?!

 

Wait… he still had the original key… meaning that the car was either - hopefully not, _stolen_ \- or driven away with a _spare_ key; which _only_ Uncle Toshinori had!

 

He ran back into his house frantically (and almost tearing down the Shouji divider door in his panic) and began pressing the numbers to dial All-Might Automobile workshop with their wall phone.

 

Someone picked up the phone.

 

“Hello, this is All-Might Automobile, what do you need?”

 

It was a voice Izuku didn’t expect - he did not know who, and it was probably an employee at the car workshop. It was a male’s voice, and sounded rather deep, which Izuku pinpointed to the age of around 30 to 40.

 

“Hello, is Yagi Toshinori available?”

 

“I’m afraid not.” answered the voice. “He went out since late-morning, and hadn’t came back at all since.”

 

“I see.” Izuku felt more panic and anxiety well up in his stomach. “Any idea where he might be?”

 

“No.”

 

“I see… thank you.” with that, Midoriya Izuku hung up the phone.

 

… ugh!

 

He couldn’t race the GT-R if he didn’t even have a car!

  


* * *

 

  


“The… the gallery sure is packed, huh, Eijirou.” mumbled Kaminari Denki as he sat in the passenger seat of the moving S14 up the roads of Haruna.

 

“Yeah, it is to be expected.” replied the driver of the red Nissan. “Everyone wants to see the Eight-Six race, now that it’s famous after beating an FD.”

 

Kaminari Denki felt more and more nervous as the car made its way to the peak where they would inadvertently find Tokoyami Fumikage; as if the uphill route of Haruna was the loading bar for him to start throwing up.

 

“Do you…” asked Denki as he looked apprehensively at the galleries packed in Haruna as if they were caged lions. “...do you think Izuku will make it?”

 

“I dunno…” replied Eijirou as he prepared to turn a hairpin corner, slowing down and checking for any illumination from oncoming headlights. “Katsuki told me that he had talked to Izuku, but he didn’t have an answer either.”

 

“... ah.”

 

‘Riririring! Riririring!’ came a two-tone, buzzsaw waveform ringtone.

 

“Oh, that’s my phone.” said Eijirou as he continued looking at the road ahead and trying not to get distracted by the ringtone. “Can you help me pick it up? It’s in my left pocket.”

 

Kaminari Denki reached a hand into the jean pocket of Kirishima Eijirou; but because the other wore relatively tight jeans, he had some trouble pulling the phone out of the tight slot. However, after some shifting around in his seat by Eijirou, Denki managed to pull the phone out with it still ringing and vibrating.

 

“Hello?” the yellow-haired boy answered the phone. “Yeah, it’s me.”

 

…

 

“What?! What do you mean?”

 

...

 

“Alright.”

 

Kaminari Denki suddenly looked at him with a face that indicated that he was not nervous about reaching the peak of Mount Haruna anymore; but instead was now worried about something else entirely.

 

“Eiji! We have to turn back!”

 

“What, why?” came the confused response as they reached the three-quarters point up to the peak of Haruna.

 

“Izuku’s car’s gone missing!”

 

And the gallery of Haruna watched in confusion as the Super Clear Red 1993 Nissan Silvia Q’s S14 suddenly did a 180 degrees spin, and drove at maximum power down the hill after driving so carefully up, allowing his Naturally-Aspirated SR20DE to finally sing its performance repertoire to the crowd with its engine holding it’s note at 7400 RPM on third gear.

 

“Woah!” exclaimed a member of the audience as the red car flew past a corner and headed downhill. “Who’s that? That’s fast!”

 

“That’s RedSuns’s number-three: Kirishima Eijirou.”

 

“The RedSuns sure have really good drivers on their side, huh.”

 

“That may be true, but if the Eight-Six loses this race, the NightKids will be seen as the better team compared to RedSuns.”

 

The roar of two turbocharged Wankel engines suddenly filled up the night air of Mount Haruna after the departure of the Nissan S14; revealing two generations of RX-7 also belonging to team RedSuns both heading uphill towards the peak of Haruna.

 

“They’re here! The Rotary Brothers!”

  


* * *

 

  


“What happened, Izuku? What do you mean your car is gone?” immediately questioned Denki after the S14 stopped in front of Midoriya Tofu Shop. “Who took your car?”

 

It was 21:38.

 

“I think it might be my uncle, if not; the car might be stolen.” answered a frustrated Midoriya Izuku as he sat on a wooden crate used to store tofu outside the shophouse. “Mom usually doesn’t use the car, and she usually asks before she does.”

 

“Ugh… how has the situation come to this?” groaned Denki. “We can’t do anything now!”

 

“... how about…” began Eijirou. “You drive the race in my Silvia? It's pretty fast and handles well!”

 

“I’m not sure about that, senpai.” replied the green-haired boy. “I never drove anything other than my Eight-Six. I don’t know if my skills can translate to other cars.”

 

“... that’s true.” agreed the RedSuns member. “Sorry, I didn’t think it through.”

 

“Its fine, Kirishima-senpai. Thank you.”

 

Then;

 

Kaminari Denki and Kirishima Eijirou watched as Midoriya Izuku suddenly bolted up and sat completely upright as his eyes looked around, as if listening out for something.

 

Then, his green eyes widened.

 

“That’s… that’s my car!” exclaimed Izuku as he scrambled from a sitting position to stand up and look towards the turn-in point for this particular street. “My Eight-Six!”

 

Eijirou raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?” He also heard a distinctive 4-cylinder engine, but he wasn’t sure as many cars sounded like that.

 

However, the sound in question was unmistakable to Midoriya Izuku; Toyota TwinCam 4-AGEU ‘Red-Top’ Inline-4 engine tuned to 150 HP with a close-ratio gearbox, revving and roaring up to 7700 RPM in a melodious tone before shifting up, reverberating through the night sky as it moved, as it gotten louder and louder from where they stood.

 

His car was here.

 

The familiar square headlights accompanied by yellow fog-lights of the Midoriya family car appeared as it turned in from the main avenue to greet him in this small street where their shop sat.

 

Izuku had never been happier to see his - _his_ \- Eight-Six in front of him.

 

“Uncle Toshinori!” called out the green-haired boy as the car pulled up into the parking space next to him with throttle blipping as it downshifted to neutral. “Why did you take the car?”

 

“I… just fancied a drive.” grinned the old man behind the wheel as he exited the car after stopping the engine. “Sorry, did you need the car?”

 

“YES!”

 

And a few seconds later, Izuku had jumped into the driver’s seat, started up the car with the original key, and drove away with the S14 hot on its tail.

 

Yagi Toshinori sweatdropped as he realised that he almost caused the boy to be late for his race against the Nissan GT-R with his ‘surprise’.

 

The old blond man checked his watch to reveal that the time was 21:48 - Izuku would have just enough time to make it to the top of Mount Haruna as long as he stepped on it and warmed up the tyres on the uphill run - and during the downhill race; he would come to appreciate his last-minute tuning of the suspension settings.

 

He carefully watched the Eight-Six punch the gas as it joined the main avenue.

 

The car was now set up to understeer under acceleration.

  


* * *

 

  


The two famous Mazda street racers from RedSuns both sat on the hoods of their cars after they parked side-by-side at the peak of the mountain.

 

“So, do you think he’s going to come?” asked Todoroki Shouto as he began to smoke a stick of cigarette. “He did say he didn’t want to race, after all.”

 

“Fucking Deku… he’ll come.” answered Katsuki as he also smoked the same brand of cigarettes. “I’m sure he’ll come; the fucking idiot just wants to make a grand entrance or some shit and show up at the very last second.”

 

The leader huffed before looking at the parked and ready-to-go black Nissan GT-R on the starting line.

 

“If you say so; he’s your boyfriend-”

 

“YOU WANNA GET PUNCHED?”

  


* * *

 

  


“I can’t believe it!” exclaimed Denki as they finally began entering the roads of Mount Haruna that would lead them to Izuku’s challenger. “Izuku actually wants to race now!”

 

“Yeah, I wonder what happened.” responded Eijirou as the Eight-Six turned into a left-handed corner quickly, and he followed the same line with his S14.

 

“You’re not gonna be left behind by his Eight-Six on the uphill, right?”

 

“Not a chance, Denki. That may be the case downhill, but…!” he smirked as he punched the gas as they exited the corner, with the S14 close to the leading Eight-Six; but not close enough to disrupt his rhythm. “I have more power for the hillclimb after all.”

 

Meanwhile, in the leading car; Midoriya Izuku was unbothered by the speed warning chime being played by his Eight-Six as he passed the 100 km/h mark, completely focused on trying to get up to the peak of Haruna for the race as quickly as possible.

 

The High-Tech Two-Tone Toyota AE86 charged up the roads of Mount Haruna with the N/A tune sung by the 4-AGE engine gracing the audience galleries as it drove past.

 

Approaching a left-handed hairpin corner, he braked and downshifted with heel-and-toe to the second gear, letting his engine roar at a high rev as he sent his car drifting into the corner with all four tyres losing their grip.

 

He smiled.

 

The car felt right; his limbs worked the car nicely.

 

He was going to make it on time.

 

“Haruna’s Eight-Six is here!”

 

…

 

Todoroki Shouto watched as the panda Trueno slowly pulled to a stop after seemingly exiting the final corner to reach the peak at full speed, with Kirishima Eijirou’s S14 following close behind.

 

“You were right.” he simply stated.

 

“I fucking said so, didn’t I?” grumbled Bakugou Katsuki.

 

“You’re the one who knows him, boyfriend-”

 

“I’m gonna fucking set fire to your stupid FC if you don’t shut your goddamn mouth.”

 

…

 

“Please don’t touch my FC.”

* * *

 


	8. Drift vs Grip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A clash of driving styles between the AE86 and the BNR32!

* * *

“You’re finally here.” stated Tokoyami Fumikage after the Eight-Six had parked up next to the black Nissan GT-R at  _ exactly _ 10 P.M., and gotten out of his idling car to face the other male. “I’m Tokoyami Fumikage. What’s your name?”

 

“Midoriya Izuku.” responded the green-haired boy.

 

Tokoyami Fumikage took another good look at the young driver next to him - he was way younger that what he expected (because he expected the driver of an Eight-Six to be older); but the aura he felt radiating off the boy was unmistakable.

 

“I’ll remember that.” stated the GT-R driver. “It’s getting late; shall we start?”

 

“Sure.” nodded the younger driver.

 

As the two performers on the stage tonight got into their cars and started their engines up for the battle that night, two other males also got into a particular white Mazda FC3S belonging to Todoroki Shouto.

 

“They started the countdown.” stated the driver - Shouto - as he glanced into the rear-view mirror, seeing a random NightKids member stand in front of the two racing cars with his right hand up in the air. “You ready? Put on your seatbelt.”

 

“Fucking fine.” grumbled Katsuki as he did as he was told, slotting in his seatbelt with a ‘click’.

 

Behind them, two sets of engines revved up to their optimal launching speed.

 

“GO!”

 

The two drivers released their clutch pedals and allowed their cars to dash off the starting line.

 

“A rocket start!” exclaimed an audience.

 

The 4WD black Nissan GT-R set off without much wheelspin due to its drivetrain system, while the AE86 set off with squealing tyres and slightly smoking wheels as its driving wheels scrambled for grip when it dashed off from the starting line.

 

As expected, the powerful 380 HP Nissan GT-R R32 immediately took the lead from the start and easily pulled ahead with the aid of its 4WD drivetrain layout.

 

“What?!”

 

“Isn’t that…?!”

 

A Crystal White, 1990 Mazda Savanna RX-7 suddenly pulled out into the main road, following the two cars which had just set off from the racing start. 

 

“That’s Todoroki Shouto’s FC!”

 

“Is he joining the race?” asked Kaminari Denki as he looked at the three cars drive off into the night.

 

“Nah, he did this before.” stated Kirishima Eijirou as it if it was no big deal. “He’s just riding the race from behind like a spectator; that’s all. He’s not going to interfere with anything.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


In the Eight-Six, Izuku briefly wondered why another set of headlights appeared in the rear-view mirror as he chased after the R32 towards the first corner.

 

It was an FC3S - he could make out with the shape of its lights; but it didn’t bother him much as the driver made it pretty clear from how he drove that he was just going to follow from a distance and watch the race from behind.

 

He turned his focus back onto the black Nissan in front of him; which hadn’t pulled away from him as far away as he thought. In fact, he was almost neck-to-neck in terms of acceleration with the leading car.

 

… was the driver waiting for him…?

 

He felt slight indignation well up inside him as he pressed down the gas pedal harder although it didn’t cause the Eight-Six to accelerate faster as the pedal had already reached the floor.

 

‘It’s a battle I want.’ thought the driver of the Nissan as he pressed the throttle at 50%. ‘I can’t race you properly if I’m already way ahead. The real start of this race will be at the first corner!’

 

With that, the two cars (with the following Mazda FC3S) quickly approached the first corner at speeds of over 100 km/h.

 

The leading GT-R braked for the corner harshly, cutting away it’s speed to turn the slow left corner while shifting the car’s centre of gravity to the front to increase dive-in grip from the front tyres to allow him to turn the car faster around the corner.

 

Headlights flashed into his rear-view mirror, catching his attention; revealing to Fumikage:

 

The Eight-Six, executing a perfect four-wheel drift behind his car with loud squealing sounds from its tyres as it gained on him a little bit during the corner itself.

 

‘If you think you can keep up with that showy drift style; you thought wrong...’ Tokoyami Fumikage punched on his gas pedal as he allowed his Three-Two to exit the corner at full acceleration, and he saw that he easily left the Eight-Six behind after the very first corner. ‘This car is the best on the circuits; and earned its ‘R’ badge. Can you keep up with my ‘R’?!’

 

‘The GT-R is pretty fast.’ thought Midoriya Izuku as he stabilised his car after exiting the corner and stepping on the gas to accelerate. ‘It looked to be producing around 380 HP. I might be in trouble.’

 

The four-eyed red taillights of the leading R32 signalled its approach towards the entrance of the next corner while the Eight-Six was still at the halfway point from the previous corner to the next, shifting into third gear after his engine hit 7700 RPM.

 

Braking for the corner, he turned his front wheels as soon as he felt the car lean forward and shift its weight to the front, and sent his car charging into the corner at full speed nearly reaching 100 km/h as it drifted the gentle corner.

 

“Impressive.” complimented the driver of the spectating FC3S as he watched the AE86 ahead exit the corner. “Four-wheel drifting through a corner with the front bumper nearly grazing the guardrail and cutting through the course at the shortest distance possible is... incredible. Even I cannot control my FC like that.”

 

“He’s fucking suicidal; it’s what he is.” grumbled Katsuki as he couldn’t admit that he was - too - impressed. “Tokoyami can drive his GT-R well, too; although it looks fucking boring as hell.”

 

They quickly approached the third corner which was a right-handed hairpin curve.

 

The leading black GT-R performed a full-braking technique and allowed its ABS system to kick in to aid the cutting of speed while downshifting into second gear before steering the car into the corner aggressively, allowing the momentum carried by the weight to be translated into grip for the front tyres.

 

As soon as the corner exit was seen; the driver of the GT-R opened up his throttle fully and allowed his car’s powerful engine to flex its muscles as it propelled the heavy body of the Nissan forward with the help of the ATTESA E-TS system to decide power sent to the driving wheels.

 

It might have not been anything showy for the audience, but it is indeed a driving style that maximised the potential of the R32 on the mountain roads.

 

Meanwhile, the AE86 driver sent his car charging into the right hairpin corner with an angled entry, forcing its four tyres to find grip on their own as the driver stomped on the accelerator aggressively; testing out a particular hunch on a whim.

 

‘I knew it.’ thought Izuku as he left his foot hard on the gas pedal during mid-corner and accelerated full-throttle out of the corner. ‘Something’s different with the car! Uncle All-Might must have done something to it!’

 

What he felt right now was less noticeable during the uphill run as Izuku mostly used gripping techniques for that run, because his car wasn’t fast enough for drifts uphill - but here, now, in the downhill; the subtle difference was crystal clear to him.

 

He could step on it fully when drifting, without worrying about losing grip and sacrificing exit speed!

 

Understeer when stepping on the gas…

 

He grinned joyfully.

 

It was time for him and his Eight-Six to shine.

 

He sent his Eight-Six charging down the next corner at maximum entry speed as its 4-cylinder engine roared out fiercely into the night; as if warning the GT-R ahead of it to watch out.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Bakugou Katsuki watched in silence from the passenger seat of the FC3S as he observed the way how Deku drove the Eight-Six.

 

It was efficient, and smooth, and had no wasted movements - and all of a sudden; he understood exactly why and how Deku’s Eight-Six was able to catch up to him during their race even though he had more power in his FD.

 

It was the way he drove:

 

For an underpowered car like his 150 HP Eight-Six, if he lost any speed at all; that was it, and he would have to work his momentum back up again from scratch - and now; with how the AE86 ahead drove like it drew lines from corner to corner flawlessly; he saw how every single movement of the AE86 flowed like water in a river.

 

It was an art.

 

Midoriya Izuku’s driving was an art form in itself - he thought - as he watched the Eight-Six drift again at full-speed, with its front bumper nearly sending sparks flying with how microscopically close it was to the guardrails.

 

That move annoyed him; because how was that Deku able to control a drift so… so flawlessly like that…?!

 

How was he able to internalise the dimensions of his Eight-Six and use it like as if it was an extension of his own body?!

 

He watched as the Eight-Six drifted out of the turn gracefully; hugging the outer edge of the roads as it left the corner.

 

“Your FD lost because it had too much power,” commented Shouto as he sent his FC drifting into a left hairpin bend, following the line of the leading AE86. “The Eight-Six is well balanced and can step on it way more on a technical course like Haruna, especially at the mid-section of the course with many twists and turns.”

 

“Your point being?”

 

“Here - where the roads begin to get steeper - is where the Eight-Six will show its true strength .”

 

Tokoyami Fumikage had been driving alone without anyone close behind for less than a minute, and headlights had once again appeared in his rear-view mirror.

 

“What…?!”  
  
  


The Eight-Six had begun to close up the gap already!

 

“Hmph.” huffed the Nissan driver who couldn’t help but be impressed. “If you’re going to take it that far… All my prejudice against the Eight-Six as a slow, underpowered car is now gone…”

 

He braked and downshifted for gentle right corner in the way that would allow him maximum exit speed for his heavy GT-R.

 

“The Eight-Six is an excellent machine with maximum fighting potential!” he declared as he stomped on the gas to exit the corner at full-throttle from third gear. “This is great, I haven’t had a race like this ever since I gotten this car…!”

 

He looked into his mirror once again, with the headlights of the AE86 declaring war against him and his car.

 

“I’m no longer holding back anymore! Show me what you got, Haruna’s Eight-Six!”

* * *

 


	9. The GT-R's Weakness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even a high-tech, high-power car like the R32 GT-R has a weakness.

* * *

‘I’m doing it.’ thought Izuku behind the wheel of his Eight-Six. ‘I’m catching up. I _can_ beat the GT-R!’

 

His right foot was hard pressed to the floor on the pedal, and the speed-warning chime of his car had played for around three seconds before he had to brake again for another upcoming corner.

 

Two hairpin corners later and it was a long straightaway - he had to make it count.

 

He watched as the leading Skyline GT-R a short distance ahead braked and entered the first right-turn hairpin aggressively, and soon it was his turn as he approached quickly in his Eight-Six.

 

Braking and downshifting into second gear - causing his engine to roar out loud near redline - he tossed the car into the right-hand corner and immediately pressed the gas fully down as soon as the car started drifting.

 

Catch up on the entry with braking, then maximise acceleration out of the corner!

 

Dashing his way out the previous corner, he steered left for the next hairpin corner.

 

‘THUMP!’

 

Bakugou Katsuki’s eyes from within the spectating Mazda widened as he _immediately_ recognised the sound, and he saw it: The Eight-Six’s inner wheels catching onto the drainage gutter and using it to turn the sharp hairpin corner.

 

That…

 

That was the technique he lost to.

 

The race was beginning to get serious - his eyes couldn’t keep up as the Eight-Six quickly made its way through the hairpin corner and disappeared from their view momentarily before they could catch up.

 

Another thing he realised was that Todoroki Shouto who sat next to him; had stopped talking - and this had never happened before in all the times he sat next to the RedSuns leader.

 

The red-and-white haired male had a frown on his face as he sent the FC charging straight into the corner, drifting at an angle that was meant to maximise straight-line speed for the exit of the corner as the turbocharged rotary engine whined at 7600 RPM.

 

He felt the tension in the air.

 

All three drivers charging down Mount Haruna in their cars had gotten serious.

  


* * *

 

  


A speck of light appeared on the rear-view mirror.

 

‘What’s going on…?!’ thought Fumikage as he saw the headlights from behind get slightly bigger as the car behind got closer. ‘The Eight-Six is closing in?!’

 

The Eight-Six roared menacingly at his GT-R as it signalled its approach as they reached the exit of the hairpin curve.

 

‘No matter,’ he thought as he shifted into third gear after exiting the hairpin corner leading into a relatively long straight. ‘I’ll use this straight to pull away!’

 

They both shifted into third gear after pulling out of the hairpin corner.

 

Izuku watched as the leading car slowly began to pull away even though he had caught him up during the previous corner during the entrance and the turn itself.

 

Depressing the clutch with his left foot, he shifted into fourth gear and continued accelerating, watching as his speedometer slowly climbed up to 140 km/h on the straight; while the Skyline had already began braking for the corner ahead.

 

He had a difference of nearly two seconds to make up for - thought Izuku, as his car also approached the entrance of the complex, left-handed corner.

 

He was positioned on the right side of the road as his Toyota charged directly at the corner as his headlights lit up the familiar road ahead.

 

Braking with his right foot, he used heel-and-toe technique to downshift the car as his left foot worked the clutch. With the upset of the car’s balance, he steered left and allowed the car to steer itself into the corner with its momentum carried; while still braking gently into the corner for a little while longer before shifting his right foot onto the gas pedal again and depressing it fully.

 

With the amount of countersteer he used currently, he reduced it as the corner twisted into a tighter bend mid-corner, increasing the angle of his drift and allowing his car to take the path he visualised in his head - all the while with his foot still pressed hard down causing his engine roaring out at full volume while drinking high-octane.

 

“Look at that Eight-Six drift!” exclaimed an excited audience to his friend as they watched the Trueno fly past them at an impressive speed with beautifully singing engine and screeching tyres.

 

Meanwhile, in the Mazda FC3S, Todoroki Shouto had began speaking again as he closed up the gap easily during the straight with his powerful engine.

 

“I think it’s about time the Three-Two’s weakness is revealed,” stated the driver as he followed the AE86 into the corner at the same speed. “at around the end of this mid-speed section.”

 

Katsuki huffed as he re-focused his eyes on the Eight-Six in front of him; still working to catch up to the Skyline after losing ground due to the long straightaway.

 

The heavier body of the Nissan Skyline was a definite disadvantage; compared to the lightweight Eight-Six which weighed less than a ton; and it showed: In the twisty roads of this particular section of Haruna, the Toyota had been able to inch closer to the GT-R with every single corner.

 

The Eight-Six charged into a left-handed corner at an amazing speed, and he hung on to the grab-handle while Shouto did the same - though his leader did not exactly get his car as close to the guardrail as the leading car.

 

The corner was cleared quickly with both their cars nearly touching the outer guardrails as they dashed out of the corner, and-

 

Wait...

 

The Eight-Six had caught right up to the GT-R?!

 

The path of the Trueno’s headlights were _completely_ obstructed by the leading black car as the front bumper of the Toyota nearly grazed the rear bumper of the Nissan as it closed the gap between them by inching forward.

 

His eyes immediately averted to check the speedometer on the FC3S - which revealed that they were travelling at around 100 km/h, and the Eight-Six had pulled away while _drifting_ through that previous left-handed corner…

 

Deku had just drifted through a high-speed corner at more than 100 km/h?!

 

He… that Deku was…

 

He was definitely suicidal.

  


* * *

 

  


Izuku felt satisfaction as his _headlights_ caused the rear-end of the leading GT-R to turn _white_ while he continued depressing the accelerator hard down to continue his chase and attack on the other driver.

 

However - as expected - no more than two seconds later, the leading car had begun to pull away again due to its more powerful 2.6-litre Inline-6.

 

They were nearly at the end of the mid-speed section; then it’ll be a straightaway leading into a high-speed section where he could really catch up to the GT-R using his four-wheel, high-speed drifting - it was a waiting game now as both cars prepared to take the last corner of the section - a right-handed hairpin.

 

Tokoyami Fumikage felt a slight twitch in his steering wheel as he steered his Skyline GT-R into the right hairpin corner; with the front wheels feeling less sharp as before, and the car took a slightly wider path than he intended.

 

His front tyres was beginning to completely wear out!

 

‘Damn,’ thought the driver of the Nissan as he pressed onto the gas pedal fearlessly to accelerate out of the hairpin corner with the AE86 following right behind him. ‘I never thought an Eight-Six could put up such a fight; I’ve wore out my tyres more than I expected!’

 

Because of its heavier body weighing up to nearly 1500 KG, its tyres and brakes had more inertia to deal with and would wear out faster; _especially_ on the downhill - even with tuned and reinforced systems.

 

In the chasing white Mazda, Todoroki Shouto smirked as he saw exactly what was happening to the tyres of the leading Nissan GT-R as it exited the corner and confirmed his predictions.

 

“Next up after the high-speed section is the five consecutive hairpins.” stated the driver of the FC3S as he relaxed on the throttle at 60% to follow the pace of the chasing AE86 as they drove down the straightaway.

 

“He’ll make his move there.” continued Bakugou Katsuki as he watched the Three-Two slowly pull away from the Eight-Six which previously worked hard to catch up to it. “That’s pretty fucking obvious by now.”

 

“You’re right.” said the driver as he shifted up a gear after his 13B engine hit the redline. “Childhood friend.”

 

“Shut up before I kill us both.”

  


* * *

 

  


“Sounds pretty good so far.” commented Kirishima Eijirou as he sat inside his Nissan S14 with Kaminari Denki in the passenger’s seat. “Izuku’s keeping up well!”

 

The red car’s windows were rolled down for ventilation as the engine was not on.

 

“Yeah…” hummed the yellow-haired boy as he locked eyes with the red-haired boy. “Say, Izuku drives well on Haruna, right?”

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

“So how do you think he’ll drive on other mountain roads?”

 

“... that’s a pretty interesting question.” agreed the red-haired male as he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “He did say he only ever drove on Haruna, after all.”

 

“Bring him to Akagi someday, Eiji.”

 

“Maybe I will.” smiled the boy.

  


* * *

 

  


At Mount Haruna’s distinctive five consecutive hairpins, the galleries of spectators grew restless and excited as the sounds produced by the racing cars grew louder and louder.

 

“I wonder if they’re here yet, they sound pretty close.”

 

“Can an Eight-Six _really_ keep up with a GT-R, I wonder?”

 

“It seems pretty impossible… an FR against a 4WD…”

 

“HERE THEY COME!”

 

Two cars - black and white - appeared and made their presence known to the gallery as their engines roared loudly with the accompaniment of squealing, abused tyres as they charged their way towards the very first hairpin of the five consecutive hairpins of Haruna.

 

“The Eight-Six is right on his tail!”

 

“I _can’t_ believe it! How can an Eight-Six be that _fast_?!”

 

“Isn’t that Todoroki Shouto?!” came the hysteria as the white FC was revealed to be following the two leading cars from a distance.

 

However, the gallery’s attention was quickly redirected somewhere else:

 

“Woah! Look at that Eight-Six’s braking drift!”

 

The panda Trueno had began drifting into the hairpin corner way before the entry, and allowed all four of its tyres to scrape off excess speed off the car instead of letting the brakes do the job completely. It caught up entirely to the rear bumper of the leading black Nissan Skyline GT-R who was pinned to the inside of the corner.

 

“That Tokoyami…” growled Bakugou Katsuki as he watched the line that the leading car took; suspiciously close to the inside of the hairpin corner. “Hogging up the inside lane so that Deku can’t overtake…”

 

“Four hairpins left.” stated Shouto as all three cars charged out of the first hairpin curve. “Let’s see how he deals with this.”

 

The Eight-Six now hung onto the rear-end of the leading Three-Two it was pulled along on a tow leash.

 

“DANGER!” screamed someone from the audience.

 

The blond-haired passenger in the FC3S watched with wide eyes as the Eight-Six suddenly changed paths began drifting on the outside lane on the second hairpin, moving side-by-side with the leading car as its rear tyres crossed just outside the white line as it slid dangerously through the corner within the narrow space.

 

It was just enough space to squeeze through as the leading Three-Two had pulled right to the inside edge of the corner, and the Eight-Six’s front bumper nearly scraped paint off of the driver’s door of the black Skyline as it drifted next to it.

 

Was that _Deku_ planning to overtake from the outside?!

 

ON A FUCKING HAIRPIN?!

 

“Tch!” The GT-R fully opened its throttle out of the corner; and in its second gear, its acceleration speed was _unbeatable_ compared to the Eight-Six, quickly making the Eight-Six fall in behind its rear-end again.

 

The Eight-Six had set itself up for the outside path of the next hairpin again, with the GT-R still taking the inside path as they entered the right-handed corner.

 

‘Damn…!’ thought Fumikage as the headlights of the Eight-Six flashed dangerously close, reflecting in his left door mirror. ‘Being taken from the outside in front of a gallery like this; how humiliating…!’

 

The 4-cylinder engine of the AE86 roared at him to get out of its way.

 

He punched the gas earlier this hairpin exit, causing his tyres to spin with the sudden, unexpected acceleration while dealing with the cornering force, but sliding out of the corner smoothly with the aid of the ATTESA E-TS system of the GT-R.

 

“Tokoyami’s getting aggressive…” mumbled Shouto from his spectating FC as he observed the movements of the two cars.

 

His heterochromatic eyes narrowed on the rear-end of the white Toyota as he realised exactly what was going on.

 

“Watch, Katsuki!” almost-shouted the usually calm driver next to him. “The Eight-Six is going to overtake!”

 

The car in question; was still behind the leading car and still being blocked.

 

How is he going to overtake when Tokoyami was being so defensive with his line…?

 

The driver of the Nissan Skyline peeked into his rear-view mirror, watching the Eight-Six as it inched forward and closed the gap.

 

‘I get it now.’ thought the driver of the black R32. ‘Because of my line, I can’t maximise entry speed and he takes advantage of that…’

 

Their cars quickly charged towards the fourth hairpin corner.

 

‘If I can take a line that leaves less than a car’s space for him…’ he watched the Eight-Six warily in his driver’s door mirror. ‘Then I’ll be able to clear the corner faster!’

 

As if the other driver was able to hear his thoughts, the Toyota positioned itself in the line to prepare to drift through the outside edge again.

 

‘Great!’ he thought as he steered outwards, right before the corner came up and they had to brake.

 

Feeling the ABS system kick in as he depressed the brake pedal, Fumikage clutch-kicked and downshifted into the second gear, turned into the corner, and watched as-

 

Wait.

 

The Eight-Six was not drifting right next to him on the outside path…? Wait a moment. In fact, he didn’t hear squealing tyres at all…!

 

“WOAH!”

 

“The Eight-Six took the inside!”

 

The menacing roar of the 4-AGE engine belonging to the 14-year-old Toyota snapped Fumikage Tokoyami out of his trance as the position of the opponent was revealed to him.

 

It was right next to him; on the inside!

 

Instead of being on the outside lane, the AE86 was right up on the inside of the corner, mounting the grassy edge of the corner as its tyres drove over them!

 

When did that happen?!

 

… the movement to the outside was a feint! The Eight-Six must have done a full-braking and completely changed its line and crossed paths to go inside instead!

 

And now, the Toyota Sprinter Trueno had creeped up right next to the Nissan Skyline GT-R which currently had to deal with nearly useless tyres - especially at the front.

 

As he saw the Three-Two’s understeering movement, Midoriya Izuku took the opening to drop his inside tyres into the drainage ditch as the heavier car took a wider path. He put his foot right on the gas to throttle at 50% to try and inch ahead of the Nissan without losing cornering grip.

 

The two cars raced their way towards the exit of the corner side-by-side, door-to-door.

 

‘Don’t underestimate my Three-Two!’ Tokoyami thought as he fought with the steering wheel due to the understeering tyres. ‘In second gear at full acceleration, I’ll blow you away, Eight-Six!’

 

The Three-Two driver put his foot hard down on the gas as soon as the exit was seen, letting his twin-turbo RB26 engine roar out loud in response to the attacking 4-AGE engine.

 

… and he wrestled with the steering wheel as his front tyres - which had lost their grip - caused his car to understeer, forcing him to steer further to the left as the turbo boost kicked in and spun the tyres.

 

Suddenly, the rear tyres of his GT-R spun unexpectedly, but he kept his foot on the gas, thinking that he could fight it by immediately countersteering to negate the sudden oversteer, but it was too late-

 

‘WHAM!’

 

The black Nissan Skyline GT-R began to spin as its tyres spun uselessly with the lack of grip, producing smoke which clouded up the roads as the FC3S approached.

 

Todoroki Shouto saw as the right-rear side panel of the Nissan slammed into the guardrail after losing grip, and now started to spin because of the force sent from the bump.

 

He looked ahead through the smoke - the Eight-Six had continued driving ahead after overtaking the Three-Two.

 

Good.

 

He closely watched the spinning pattern and momentum for a chance to pass safely.

 

But when no opportunity was presented to him in the short few moments, he decided to go for another approach and thus, spun the steering wheel hard left and immediately a hard right.

 

His RX-7 responded the way he wanted; drifting through the gap between the road and the spinning black Nissan as its tyres mounted the kerb for less than a second as its driver stabilised the drift movement and continued driving forward as if nothing happened.

 

As the two cars drove further down the road and took the next hairpin corner, the R32 finally came to a stop and was left alone as the nearby audience watched with open mouths from the unforeseeable turn of events.

 

“I… I guess that’s the Eight-Six’s win…?” commented an audience after the excitement and tension had died down.

 

Inside the Nissan Skyline GT-R, Tokoyami Fumikage rested his forehead on the steering wheel in shock as he caught his own breath.

 

‘... I lost.’

 

He stared at his Momo racing wheel.

 

The Nissan driver had felt refreshed - surprisingly; although he had a dent to fix and a loss in his books, but instead of feeling anger - he felt the unexpected feeling of happiness and rejuvenation of the desire to race.

 

It was almost humorous; losing to a _powerless_ Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX in his _powerful_ Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II.

 

But it felt great to lose to that car.

 

He stared into the now-empty roads of Mount Haruna in the darkness of the night, illuminated with only the lights from his car.

 

‘Midoriya Izuku… you’re amazing.’

 

… because he lost giving his absolute all.

* * *

 


	10. A New Driver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new driver appears in Gunma!

* * *

“Well, wasn’t that exciting?” asked Todoroki Shouto rhetorically to his younger foster-brother as he gotten out of the car.

 

“... yeah, I guess.” grumbled the usually-angry blond. “The way that Deku used his brakes to close in on the GT-R? I thought the Eight-Six didn’t come with ABS.”

 

The image was still vivid in his mind; the way the AE86 faked its movement to the outside of the corner, and then line-crossed the other driver after performing a full-braking to end up on the inside of the corner.

 

“They don’t. And he hasn’t got it.” answered the FC driver as he lit up a cigarette. “That’s ‘Human ABS’; precise pedal control.”

 

Bakugou Katsuki lit up a cancer stick of his own as he listened to the other male’s lecture.

 

“A driver who only ever drives modern cars with driver-assists such as ABS cannot learn the strict pedal-control required to stop a car just before the tyres lock up. To really learn how to use the brakes properly; you have to drive without ABS. Then, you’ll be able to realise how to truly use ABS.”

 

The Todoroki blew out smoke from his mouth as he stared at the full, summer moon in deep thought.

 

“That Eight-Six… he’ll make an excellent target for me and my FC to finalise my ‘Public Road’s Fastest’ theory.”

 

Then, the two-toned haired male smiled at the number-two driver of his team.

 

“You should try and see how your FD handles without ABS.”

 

“Tch, okay.” said the blond as he tossed the cigarette on the floor and stepped over it with his boot. “Now get us back to the top and get my FD.”

 

“Say please.”

 

“Fuck you, half-and-half bastard.”

  


* * *

 

  


“So… that Fumikage lost huh…?” smirked a driver of a Milano Red 1993 Honda Civic SiR-II as he leaned on the driver’s door. “How sad...”

 

He threw the half-burnt cigarette he was smoking onto the grassy ground and entered his 3-door car to start it up.

 

“Well, I guess it's time for the _real_ number-one of Myougi’s NightKids to step up and defend the honour of the team.”

 

The B16A engine started up, and drove away the tuned EG6.

  


* * *

 

  


News of the new entry to the street racing scene - the Haruna’s Eight-Six - winning against the powerful BNR32 of NightKids spread like wildfire after the race almost a week ago.

 

The news that had him included inside it hadn’t even affected his life, but what happened on this particular Saturday, had:

 

Midoriya Izuku stared in shock as his friend - Kaminari Denki - pulled into the gas station for work in a completely factory, stock-looking 1991 Nissan S13 Silvia, painted in factory Citrus Yellow Two-Tone.

 

With the lack of a turbocharger’s sound; it had to be either the J’s or Q’s trim level model - powered by the base-level SR20DE engine housed under its hood.

 

The boy parked the car, pulled the handbrake up, and stopped the engine before stepping out with a smug grin on his face, car keys hanging from a finger.

 

However, he wasn’t the most shocked person in the vicinity, apparently.

 

“YOU ACTUALLY BOUGHT THE CAR?!” exclaimed the yellow-haired boy’s boyfriend - Kirishima Eijirou - as he ran towards the owner of the new car. “WHY?! HOW?!”

 

“Cause you said it was a really good deal and I saved enough for it?” responded the yellow-haired boy matter-of-factly. “Why?”

 

“Because now you won’t drive my car anymore!” whined the red-haired boy as he hugged the other owner of a Silvia, lifted him, and spun him around. “Cause you have your own car now!”

 

“Aww, Eiji! I’ll still drive your car!”

 

The couple poked and teased at each other (discussing about switching cars for a day sometime) while the green-haired boy walked around the yellow car in awe.

 

“How much did it actually cost you?” asked the tofu-delivery boy as he looked through the window. “Is it the J’s?”

 

“Yeah, and it cost around five-hundred-thousand (500,000) yen!”

 

His jaw dropped; it might have seemed expensive with the huge number, but for a 1991 Nissan Silvia J’s? Kirishima-senpai was right; that was an incredibly, _incredibly_ good deal for a six-year-old car.

 

“You’re amazing, Denki.” smiled Midoriya Izuku after doing a once-over on the Silvia. “I don’t even really own a car.”

 

They were only eighteen years old and just gotten their driver’s license not long ago, although Izuku himself had driven illegally without a license for the past five years.

 

Getting a car of their own at their age was considered a huge achievement.

 

“Wait, you don’t own the Eight-Six?” came the curious voice of the yellow-haired boy.

 

“Actually, its owned under the name of my uncle.” explained the green-haired boy. “He took ownership as my mom doesn’t really drive and I wasn’t old enough to own a car that time.”

 

He looked at the simple frame of the other’s car in slight envy.

 

“Let’s go for a drive tonight, okay?” suggested the new owner of the used car.

 

“Sure!”

  


* * *

 

  


Three RedSuns members met up in the family restaurant to discuss an upcoming battle for Todoroki Shouto - concerning Haruna’s Eight-Six.

 

“So… you’re going to race the Eight-Six?” asked Iida Tenya.

 

Todoroki Shouto had simply nodded.

 

“With the Eight-Six’s recent races; I have come up with several simulations, especially after watching it drive during the battle against Tokoyami.” said the leader of RedSuns. “I have a chance of beating the Eight-Six on Haruna with my FC.”

 

“But… I don’t get it - it's a little mysterious, that Eight-Six.” said Tenya, after drinking a sip of coffee in the family restaurant as he sat across the Rotary Brothers. “Why can’t all the high-tech, newer and more powerful cars beat an underpowered Eight-Six?”

 

“It’s the balance, Tenya.” answered Shouto simply as the one who asked the question looked at him attentively for explanation. “Sometimes a car has too much of a certain factor to do the job for a downhill race in the touge.”

 

“For my FD, it's the power because of the nature of FR cars.” took over Bakugou Katsuki with his own experience with the AE86 thrown in. “As for the 4WD GT-R, it was the weight.”

 

“That’s right.” nodded the red-and-white haired male. “Those two factors had both contributed to your loss to the Eight-Six, which has a perfectly good balance from what I’ve seen. Although it lacks some power, the Eight-Six’s driver compensates more than enough for it.”

 

“So what are you gonna do?” asked the blond after he downed his cup of coffee. “Your car has the same amount of horsepower as mine.”

 

Todoroki Shouto sipped his coffee before placing it back down on the saucer.

 

“I won’t lose.”

  


* * *

 

  


An off-yellow KPS13 drove up the roads at a fast-cruising pace on Mount Haruna at just before 9 P.M. with Kaminari Denki in the driver’s seat, Kirishima Eijirou in the passenger’s seat, along with the up-and-coming Haruna’s Eight-Six driven by Midoriya Izuku following behind it.

 

“Hmm…” frowned Denki as he pressed down the gas a little harder as he left his car in third gear, as his engine climbed to 6000 RPM. “I don’t think my car has an LSD.”

 

“Yes it does.” disagreed the red-haired male who was an experienced racer. “It’s just set a little loose; that’s all.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah, step on it harder while cornering and you’ll notice.” smiled the RedSuns member.

 

A limited-slip differential is placed on the driving axle to ensure that tyres at either side of a car can only spin at different speeds up to a certain extent; meaning that without it; an FR car - theoretically - cannot drift.

 

With the suggestion considered, the yellow-haired boy stepped down on the accelerator fully and allowed its SR20DE engine to open up and burn more fuel as he steered into a left-handed corner; feeling the traction change in his rear tyres as the LSD began to work.

 

To the trained eye; one would be able to tell that the Silvia produced 170 HP as it opened up its throttle and thus; wasn’t an engine free from aftermarket modifications.

 

‘That looks dangerous…’ thought Izuku from the following AE86, and he decided to ease off the gas pedal to give the leading car more space for safety.

 

However...

 

“Woah, DENKI!” screamed the passenger as he felt the car understeering and plow outwards as it cornered; away from the hillside and towards the guardrail. “TOO FAST! LET OFF THE GAS!”

 

But in his panic; instead of letting go of the gas pedal, Denki had braked instead and slammed his right foot down on the middle pedal; causing the tyres to lock up with a horrendous squeal and making the car plow straight on; heading straight for the guardrails.

 

The J’s Silvia didn’t come with ABS as standard.

 

“NO! Don’t brake!”

 

“AAHH!” screamed Kaminari Denki as the other boy took control of the car from the passenger seat as he watched his car turn left and far away from the guardrails.

 

“I got it!”

 

Eijirou went reached over for the controls and actually lifted the other’s legs off of the pedals as he grabbed and turned the steering wheel further to the left, safely (or rather: quite dangerously,) correcting the yellow-haired boy’s mistake and saving them from a crash and ruining the newly-bought car.

 

When they cleared the corner safely; Kirishima Eijirou let out a visible sigh as he put his boyfriend’s legs back where they should be - on the pedals - as both of them started to calm down.

 

The yellow-haired boy began to giggle after the near-accident; and soon both boys in the 1991 Silvia were full-on laughing in hysteria as Denki brought his car back into the left-side lane and drove at a slightly-above traffic pace again.

 

Kirishima Eijirou looked at the other boy after the laughter stopped, and spoke:

 

“... maybe we should just stick with driving normally first.”

 

“Yeah.” agreed the driver.

 

And around ten minutes later, the two cars finally made it to the top of Mount Haruna without further (interesting) incidents happening and potentially ruining their cars.

 

And now; after some incessant begging for Midoriya Izuku to drive his Silvia; Kaminari Denki now sat in the passenger seat of his own car as he waited for the green-haired boy to set off and show him some skills.

 

The boy put the car into first gear and gently let go of the clutch.

 

“Well… here we go.”

  


* * *

 

  


“That… you sure you wanna do that, Shihai? A gum-tape deathmatch?”

 

“Why not?” smirked the EG6 driver as he looked at his NightKids followers with a side-glance in the parking lot. “After our race; the Eight-Six will be no more than a pile of scrap metal.”

 

“...”

 

“After all; there can only be one fastest downhiller in Gunma.” he said after blowing up smoke after inhaling a puff of cigarette. “There’s no need for two.”

 

Kuroiro Shihai opened the door to his Honda after tossing the still-lit cigarette to the ground.

 

“Let’s go Eight-Six hunting.”

  


* * *

 

  


“AHH!”

 

The screams of Kaminari Denki in the passenger seat did not bother Midoriya Izuku as he gave the boy’s car a proper, _proper_ test drive down the hill of Haruna.

 

This was a pretty good deal - although with the exception of something being done to the engine and coming with an LSD, the rest of the car was bone-stock.

 

The Silvia also felt slightly more powerful than his Eight-Six, and his body knew the differences - with how the accelerator worked, the gear ratios, and the weight of the car all being different from his own.

 

But it didn’t change the fact that it was still a sports car with the FR drivetrain layout - the nature of the way the car drove was familiar.

 

As they approached the third corner of Haruna’s downhill - the first hairpin corner that was a right-hander - he pressed his foot on the brake a little more hesitantly than he would have in his Eight-Six.

 

The tyres locked up as he pressed the pedal past a certain point, so he eased off the brakes and the tyres stopped biting the ground and started rolling once more as the car slowed down for the corner.

 

He steered into the corner and immediately, the softer spring setup of this particular car allowed the weight to shift effortlessly as the rear tyres began to lose grip from the movement as momentum; sending the car into a drifting entry into the corner.

 

It went exactly as he imagined - the car followed the line he drew on the road.

 

“Amazing…” mumbled the still slightly-terrified Denki in the passenger seat. “My S13 can actually go really fast...!”

  


* * *

 

  


After the run down and back up the pass in the Silvia driven by Izuku, the actual owner of the yellow Silvia decided to drive the car for himself with his boyfriend in the passenger seat giving advice.

 

Izuku watched in the driver’s seat of his Sprinter Trueno as they drove away for a downhill run.

 

Another seven minutes later, they finally reached the bottom of Haruna again, and Kaminari Denki turned his car around for the drive back up the hill.

 

Then they began driving back up with the Eight-Six giving the S13 a wide berth.

 

Suddenly, Izuku noticed three sets of headlights appearing in his mirrors as they drove past the first corner.

 

The leading car of the pack behind flashed its headlights at him rapidly; which he took as a signal to move to one side of the road and let the faster car behind overtake him safely.

 

So, he moved the stalk on the side of the steering wheel to make his car indicate to the left as he let go of the gas to slow down with only engine-braking.

 

‘BUMP!’

 

His car lurched forward a little - the car behind had tapped his bumper instead of overtaking and flashed at him again.

 

… what the hell?

 

He stepped down on the accelerator, then suddenly, he steered his car hard right to the opposite lane and performed a full braking while engaging the clutch to completely stop his car.

 

The three cars passed by without any further contact due to his quick maneuver and revealed to him a 1993 Honda Civic SiR-II in Milano Red leading two other cars; all with NightKids stickers.

 

The other two cars were a DC8 in black and a EG8 in silver.

 

But they continued driving ahead - towards the Silvia ahead.

 

They seemed like trouble; and that tap on his bumper definitely wasn’t an accident, so Midoriya Izuku stepped on the gas to chase after the four cars now quite some distance ahead, with his tyres squealing out loud, and 4-AGE roaring out loud.

 

If that EG6 also bumped into Denki…

 

He stepped harder on the gas although it was already pinned to the floor in hopes to get to his friends faster.

 

The leading Silvia - which was quickly caught up to on the long straight - accelerated as it tried to go faster before the driver had to brake for a left-handed hairpin corner.

 

Izuku watched as the brake lights of the Silvia came on, and the three cars following also began to brake with their taillights also turning on.

 

As the Nissan turned into the corner, the EG6 accelerated and…

 

‘BUMP!’

 

He heard a loud bump as the Silvia in front began to spin as it got sent into a forceful oversteer with the horrific squealing of all four tyres.

 

Then the Silvia stopped and its engine died. And luckily, it stopped without hitting anything else as it blocked just two lanes with less than a car’s width either side, not allowing any car to drive past it.

 

All cars stopped right after, and Izuku parked behind the other cars and got out of his car as quickly as he could to check on his friends; running past the three cars owned by NightKids members.

 

Before he got there, they were revealed to be fine as the two occupants of the car also gotten out and the yellow-haired boy stomped up to the red Civic while the red-haired boy simply watched in silent rage.

 

“HEY!” screamed Kaminari Denki and knocking on the window and making hand gestures for the driver to exit the car. “THE HELL’S WRONG WITH YOU? GET OUT OF THE CAR!”

 

The door opened up and out came a long-haired male.

 

“Sorry, what did you say?” the driver said innocently; which caused anger to boil in Izuku as he watched the scene unfold.

 

“Why did you hit my car?!”

 

“Oh, that?” the Honda driver pointed at the Nissan S13 blocking the road. “You were just driving so slowly; I couldn’t brake in time for you.”

 

“BULLSHIT!” exploded the boy. “You could’ve braked and you know it! Apologize!”

 

Instead of doing that, the long-haired male laughed hysterically.

 

“What a joke!” smirked the Civic driver as he pulled out a stick of cigarette. “Maybe if you win a downhill race against me under my rules; then I’ll get down on my knees and beg for forgiveness.”

 

“What kind of rules?” asked Kirishima Eijirou as he walked up to the Honda.

 

“Ever hear of a gum-tape deathmatch?” smiled the operator of the B16A engine. “Send your best driver against me and win; and then maybe I’ll apologize.”

 

The long-haired male pretended to look around before he stared at the idling Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX with its headlights still on.

 

“Perhaps that Eight-Six over there.” he pointed, then looked at the driver of the car in question. “You won against Fumikage, right? Maybe you’re at least half-decent.”

 

Izuku’s fists clenched tight as he frowned.

 

“I’ll race you.” he was seething in anger for his friends.

 

“Wait, Izuku!” Eijirou pulled the other boy back from confronting the EG6 driver. “Don’t do it; do you even know what rule he’s talking about?!”

 

“Sorry, Kirishima-senpai.” Izuku was furious - because the other could have killed his two best friends. He stared straight into the eyes of the Honda driver. “But I’ll race no matter what.”

 

“Great… try your best, Eight-Six.” said the challenger. “Because I - Kuroiro Shihai - will win regardless.”

 

The two drivers met eyes with Izuku’s presenting fury inside his irises.

 

“If I win, you’ll get down on your knees and beg for forgiveness, right?”

 

The EG6 driver nodded with a lazy smirk.

 

“I won’t lose to you.”

* * *

 


	11. Handling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku learns how to turn a car.

* * *

Okay, so maybe he expected something like this to happen as the ‘rules’ had a name that suggested tape and death.

 

The two cars - AE86 and EG6 - had lined up at the top of Haruna for the impromptu battle with their engines already running.

 

He stared at his right hand which was firmly stuck between the one and two o’clock position on the steering wheel with a layer of gum-tape wrapped around his entire hand to ensure that it wouldn’t be let loose or removed easily.

 

So this is a gum-tape deathmatch…

 

… no wonder Kirishima-senpai had warned him to not accept the challenge, because this was… basically suicide.

 

Can he even turn the car at all? With this restriction?

 

The other drove an EG6 - an FF car; which this particular rule favours as you can easily turn a front-wheel-drive car with the handbrake and some steering input because the steering wheels drove the car.

 

“Start the countdown, will you please?” said Kuroiro Shihai with mock respect to his lower-ranking NightKids members.

 

“5!”

 

“4!” Midoriya Izuku stepped on the accelerator; still not entirely sure about the battle and any chances he has.

 

“3!”

 

“2!”

 

“1!”

 

“GO!”

 

Shihai boredly watched the AE86 set off; and allowed the other driver a one-second head-start before flooring the gas of his EG6 to chase the car he gave the lead to.

 

His car was more powerful; after all - equipped with the B16A engine capable of producing 170 HP fresh out of the factory, it was one of the best engine of its class, not to mention the additional tuning done to it by Shihai to allow it to output 190 horses.

 

He could catch up anytime he wanted to to the Trueno. In fact, he was already catching up slowly despite the one-second handicap.

 

Well, no matter; he wanted to stay behind the Eight-Six just to watch it crash through a guardrail and explode in a ravine.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Kirishima Eijirou stared at the two 5-number* (Japanese number-plate classification) cars driving off as they slowly got swallowed up by the night, and felt worry start to pool up in his entire being when the AE86 left their range of vision, and the taillights of the two cars disappeared.

 

He could still hear the 4-cylinder engine of the Toyota - it sounded slower than usual, but that’s to be expected in this race.

 

“I’m not gonna just stand here; Denki.” announced the number-three of RedSuns as he began walking to the other boy’s car. “Give me your keys.”

 

“You’re going to catch them?” he handed over his car keys without a single moment’s hesitation and began to walk to the passenger-side.

 

“At this rate; I can’t.” frowned the red-haired male as he opened the driver’s door. “But at least we can get to Izuku faster if… if something happens.”

 

“Okay.”

 

The SR20DE engine came to life.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Kirishima Eijirou was right when he said the 4-AGE engine of the Eight-Six sounded like it was going slower than usual; because it was - as Izuku had only put the pedal down to 90%.

 

But even with that, the first corner of Haruna soon came out to greet him and his car like a familiar old friend. But this time it was different because he had limited steering input.

 

He began to brake to cut down his speed, and downshifted into second gear like he had always done when driving through the first corner.

 

He felt the familiar feeling of the rear tyres losing their grip first as he steered the car into the corner, and-

 

Shit.

 

He couldn’t steer the wheels any more to the right for the right amount of countersteer as he began to feel to strain in his wrist while the car began to drift wider and wider. His right hand was in the seven o’clock position and couldn’t steer any further.

 

Was… was this it…?

 

‘Told ya.’ smirked the driver in the chasing Civic behind the Trueno as the leading car’s drift angle became wider and wider and seemed to not be able to correct it. ‘You can’t make it past turn one.’

 

Izuku stared at his wrist as the car continued to slide; and he had an idea.

 

Using his left hand, he grasped at the wrist of his taped right hand firmly, before pulling it further to steer the wheels more to the right as his entire body compromised for the motion to prevent snapping his hand as he pulled as far as he can, all the way to the nine o’clock position.

 

Gas. Gas control was also important! He eased off the accelerator and pressed it at 30% as he felt the car began to stabilise and correct its motion.

 

The Toyota Sprinter Trueno that was about to completely lose control a second ago, had managed to pull through the first corner and exited the corner safely with less than a centimetre’s gap between it’s rear bumper and the guardrails as it stopped drifting and faced forwards.

 

“Tch!” frowned Shihai as he saw that his fantasies didn’t come true to form as the Eight-Six ahead had put his accelerator down. “How the hell did he pull that off? I was sure he’d lost it.”

 

Unknown to the male in the Honda, Midoriya Izuku had felt something after his mistake when he controlled the car with the accelerator instead of relying completely on the wheel - and it gave him an idea that he didn’t know he had.

 

But his body knows; as it felt the car through the seat, the pedals, and the steering wheel.

 

Braking for the next corner (a gentle one), Izuku throws his car into the turn from an angle into the next corner after braking and floors the accelerator after countersteering, and he clears the corner smoothly. And he did the same thing for the next corner - a right hairpin - and he also clears the corner even though the drift angle was bigger and still managed to recover the car from a drift.

 

It… that was it.

 

The way his limbs worked in the car; how the steering, the brakes, and the accelerator all came together in a package affected the weight transfer throughout the entire car!

 

He could turn a car with weight transfer!

 

“That’s it!” he smiled as he confidently stepped down on the accelerator after exiting the third corner, allowing his Trueno’s engine to finally open up fully for the first time that night, and it roared out its voice happily as it drunk high-octane.

 

He can win this race!

 

‘What’s up with that asshole…?’ scowled the driver of the EG6 as he watched the AE86 begin to clear corners effortlessly. ‘We’ve only just began, and he’s already learnt how to turn…’

 

Their cars made their way towards a left-handed hairpin corner with the EG6 right behind the Toyota.

 

He braked at exactly the same line with the leading Eight-Six, before diverging his line into a racing line more suited for his FF drivetrain as he steered and pulled the handbrake with his left hand a little bit and allowed his car to drift.

 

Then; he simply countersteered, and stepped on the accelerator to correct any oversteer - his right hand barely steered the wheel more than 90 degrees

 

‘I practiced for a whole day to be able to drive with my hand taped to the wheel, so how is he picking it up so well?!’ thought Kuroiro Shihai angrily as their cars prepared for a speed battle on a short straightaway.

 

Suddenly getting rid of his negative thoughts; Shihai grinned and pressed down the accelerator fully, letting his B16A VTEC engine rev up to 8500 RPM before he shifted up a gear.

 

The red Honda Civic positioned itself next to the Toyota Sprinter Trueno, overtaking the white-and-black car easily on the straight, before it braked again to let the other car have the lead and fall back in behind its bumper.

 

Then, the chasing car flashed its headlights several times rapidly at the car in front; pressuring the leading driver to go faster.

 

But Midoriya Izuku was too focused on adapting his driving style to notice the quick chances in light luminance.

 

Braking for another upcoming corner, he countersteered as little as he possibly could as he allowed the car to drift on its own into the right-handed corner before flooring the gas again.

 

It…

 

This was faster than how he usually drove…!?

 

Another right-hander quickly approached - a hairpin bend.

 

The green-haired boy decided to try the same technique again; steering his car as little as possible and using only the brakes and accelerator to transfer to manipulate the momentum in his car - like the way he delivered tofu in the mornings.

 

He could see the spinning water in a cup in the cup-holder although it didn’t exist right now; telling him how his inputs affected the balance of the car.

 

It turns out that his deceased father’s water-in-a-cup teachings as not just for tofu delivery - it was to teach him weight transfer.

 

And because Izuku can already do it, it did save his life on this very day and instead, allowed him to internalise limited steering quickly and drive the Eight-Six again as if it was part of his body.

 

When a right-handed hairpin flashed its fangs at the Eight-Six, the FR car attacked it with a flawless zero-countersteer drift right through it at maximum speed.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Further at the top of Haruna Pass, half a minute from the two battling drivers; a yellow S13 made its way through the fifth corner at high speeds with Kirishima Eijirou behind the wheel.

 

“Fifth corner…” mumble-counted Denki as he stared straight ahead out of the windscreen. “Oh man…”

 

Unexpectedly, the red-hair male in the driver’s seat smiled, and all his worries dissipated into thin air as he sent the car into a drift into the left-handed hairpin.

 

“I don’t think we need to worry any more.” stated Eijirou as he exited the hairpin corner, accelerated, then shifted up into third gear. “He’s made it this far. If that’s anything to go by; he might’ve already pulled way ahead of the EG6.”

 

The yellow-haired laughed after realising his point.

 

“You’re right!”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


At a particular laptop sat Todoroki Shouto typing meticulously in the Todoroki Villa - and yes, they are rich; incredibly rich, with a hospital ran by father, and fashion design company ran by mother.

 

Anyway, that was besides the point.

 

‘To clear corners faster, a driver must rely less on the steering wheel and instead rely on weight transfer.’ he typed into his document titled ‘Public Road’s Fastest Theory’ before sipping on a cup of coffee. ‘Using weight transfer to carry momentum in a car - especially in a drift - can allow the driver to corner faster as compared to relying on the steering wheel.’

 

He read the section of the paragraph twice, before smiling and shutting down his laptop.

 

That’s all he would add to his theory for today; he had a medical paper to study for.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


If there were any audiences in Mount Haruna that night; they would have heard the two 1.6-litre-engine-powered cars from the hairpin after the longest straightaway in the course as their tyres screeched and engines zoomed through the night. 

 

They were almost at the five consecutive hairpins with Izuku still in the lead in his AE86.

 

However, the Milano Red Civic was also right on the Trueno’s rear bumper as it tried to pressurise the leading driver into making a mistake. In fact, he did this for past two minutes already, but Midoriya Izuku won’t budge as his focus was all on trying to drive the car.

 

… in actual fact, he actually already forgotten about the red high-revving EG6 and was completely focused on driving down Haruna with his right hand taped to the wheel; like an exploration trip to learn new things.

  
  
  


“Tch, what a fake…” Kuroiro Shihai was growing annoyed with the lack of response from the driver ahead of him. “But I’m not as hesitant as Fumikage - all I have to do is win, no matter what!”

 

The Eight-Six in front braked for a left-handed hairpin corner, and he didn’t.

 

Instead, he decided to only let go of the gas pedal, and use the Trueno’s rear bumper as his personal brakes for that corner instead.

 

‘BUMP!’

 

The green-haired boy who drove while forgetting that he was currently in a race was taken by shock as his car suddenly jerked and lost all grip in the rear tyres, and immediately after; the front.

 

The car behind had hit him. On purpose.

 

He was spinning. 

His car began facing the inside of the corner, and Izuku watched as the EG6 in front of him drove past him. His car faced the driver’s door of the Honda while his four tyres spun uselessly on the ground.

 

His headlights now illuminated the road where he came from and drove on not more than a second ago.

 

On instinct and not really thinking or planning; his feet decided on its own to slam onto the brakes and clutch pedals, while his left hand moved to shift gears from second into one.

 

Both his feet released the pedals he just kicked, and his right foot moved onto the right-most pedal - the accelerator.

 

The 4-AGE engine spun faster and screamed at 8000 RPM as the largest gear in the car was selected.

 

The engine inertia was high in the first gear; and his rear tyres spun even faster after releasing the clutch as his car began to face the correct direction again.

 

He steered as far right as he could with his single hand taped to the wheel.

 

He didn’t know what he just did; but what his limbs did managed to re-stabilise his Eight-Six after doing a 360 degrees spin.

 

The EG6’s taillights was right there - around four seconds ahead.

 

He slammed his right foot hard down on the accelerator after changing into the second gear.

 

That bastard will not win this race.

 

His car quickly roared to 7800 RPM and he shifted gears up into third before flooring the accelerator once more.

 

Because now; he was pissed.

  
  


* * *

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *NERDY PART uwu Lecture you can skip this*
> 
>  
> 
> (Before I begin I’d like to declare that I might be wrong about this.)
> 
>  
> 
> So, this part in Initial D was actually quite interesting, as it demonstrated engine inertia with flywheel and gearing in a car subtly in a tense scene.
> 
>  
> 
> When the clutch is released after shifting into first, the rear tyres of the AE86 (driving wheels equipped with LSD) is forced to spin rapidly in reaction to the gear speed which is connected to the engine via the flywheel when clutch is released.
> 
>  
> 
> Additionally, the first gear of a car is the gear with the most amount of torque and inertia, and therefore picks up and loses momentum the easiest when the clutch is not engaged.
> 
>  
> 
> Because the above two has large(r) inertia, it aids with engine braking when in a lower gear at a higher RPM.
> 
>  
> 
> At the correct angle with LSD set tight enough; it caused the tyres to act against the forces the car was experiencing while it spun, effectively allowing the driver to regain control of the spinning car.
> 
>  
> 
> (Okay bye.)


	12. Izuku's Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fear, when the nice becomes angered.

* * *

“Tch!” the driver of the now-leading EG6 looked into the mirror which revealed the headlights of a not-crashed Toyota AE86. “That must have been a fucking fluke; there’s no way that was intentional!”

 

Behind him, the Toyota started to pick up its momentum again.

 

He was right; it was indeed pure luck that Midoriya Izuku was able to get his Eight-Six back into position and regain control, as the boy had never practiced spinning in a car before - in fact; he only ever spun out once; in the snow.

 

Had that corner been a high-speed corner; Midoriya Izuku would have died with no chance of survival.

 

Second gear, almost reaching 80 km/h at 7800 RPM.

 

‘Ding dong… ding dong...’ the speed-warning chime of the Eight-Six began to play after he shifted his car into third and continued to step on the accelerator.

 

His entire body felt hot with rage, especially at his head; as all he could think about right now was to catch the bastard driving the red Honda Civic ahead of him who rammed him seconds ago, which just turned into a medium-speed right-hand corner.

 

Let’s just say: if he was Bakugou Katsuki, the blond probably felt this way  _ rarely _ \- as his limbs driving the car shivered not in fear of the near-miss death seconds prior, but instead with absolute  _ anger _ .

 

He will catch up to the EG6. He will absolutely not lose to such scum.

 

Right now; the one who was driving the Eight-Six wasn’t Midoriya Izuku; but rather, the  _ instinct _ of Midoriya Izuku who had driven this very car for five years as his body took control of the car instead of his brain - because he was too angered to drive with complete rationale.

 

Braking for a split second only to cause the car to dive as weight immediately reacted and moved to the front; he sent the car into a drift, way ahead of the corner and floored the accelerator all the way down as the engine screamed at 7200 RPM.

 

It was fast. A little too fast.

 

Completely overspeeding into the corner, the tyres couldn’t grip to exit the corner normally on the road; and instead drifted outwards, and Izuku rode the Eight-Six onto the hillside bank, using it as means to stop his car from drifting as his foot never left the gas pedal for a single moment.

 

His left-side tyres were on the grassy hillside, and his right-side tyres were still on the road.

 

The entire body of the Eight-Six shaked and rattled as the car was driven half on the bumpy grassy dirt as the speed warning started to play again - indicating speeds above 100 km/h as his gear shifter was left untouched on third.

 

The next corner soon came up; a medium-speed left corner, so he steered right for his car to leave the bank before swinging the car back to the left for the proper entry into the corner; trail-braking while drifting into the bend with guardrails stopping cars from going over the outer cliff.

 

His inner-front tyre cut across some grass on the inside of the corner, as the same situation of overspeeding repeated once more as the car began sliding more and more sideways.

 

Izuku wasn’t even concerned that his Trueno was drifting at an angle more than he could correct with his limited steering, because;

 

‘BAM!’

 

The Trueno knocked its rear-right fender into the guardrail forcefully, and the car reacted to the rebound; but instead of stopping, the driver used the opposing forces on his car to reverse-drift for the next right-handed corner.

 

In the leading EG6; Kuroiro Shihai heard the noise and was shocked when he looked into the rear-view mirror; because the AE86 which was supposed to be seconds away; was already right on his bumper as his headlights flashed menacingly like bright eyes, and 4-AGE snarling at him and his car like an apex predator.

 

The tyres whined their continuous squeals as Midoriya Izuku’s right foot was practically glued to the floor on the accelerator as the five consecutive hairpins was revealed to them by the luminance of their headlights.

 

He let go of the gas for a second, only to floor it again to force some weight to the back of the car to stabilise the drift.

 

He finally shifted up into fourth gear after the engine begged him at nearly 8000 RPM, and he managed to close up the gap of three to four seconds between the two cars within the span of three corners.

 

The 1983 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-Apex 3-door hatchback was going faster than the 1993 Honda Civic SiR-II 3-door.

 

What the hell was going on?!

 

His B16A engine was the best of its class, and the EG6 was superior to the AE86 in every way! How was the other catching up? Or rather, why wasn’t he left behind far, far away?!

 

Kuroiro Shihai - who prided himself as a downhill specialist - had never been scared driving downhill before; and he was  _ terrified _ .

 

The two cars speeding above 100 km/h quickly approached the first of the five consecutive hairpin corners, and the EG6 braked first, with the AE86 gaining on it by performing an even more superior braking technique without the aid of ABS.

 

Tyres screeched out loud as the two cars dove into the corner, and the Eight-Six slowly closed the gap between it and the Honda as they drifted through the corner.

 

They opened up their throttle as they exited the corner. The Toyota’s headlights practically dug their way into the backseats of the red Honda Civic; and Shihai never knew that you can  _ feel light on your skin _ .

 

The EG6 had naturally moved outwards to prepare for the second hairpin corner, yet the Eight-Six remained on the inside of the corner.

 

‘Is he…’ thought the driver of the Civic as he peered into his left-side mirror while their cars quickly approached the corner. ‘Is he going to crash into me for revenge?!’

 

The Honda braked harshly for the corner and took an unnaturally weird line for the left-handed hairpin curve; while the Toyota...

 

‘THUMP!’

 

The Trueno gripped on the inside of the road in the tight hairpin corner, roared out loud, and passed the understeering red EG6 in the span of a heartbeat. Then it exited the corner with the Civic left behind its tail.

 

It all happened in a flash.

 

‘How…?! HOW WAS HE ABLE TO GRIP LIKE THAT?!’ Shihai stomped on his gas pedal in anger and confusion as he glared at the rear-end of the Eight-Six that was beginning to leave him behind. ‘DID HE REMOVE THE GUM-TAPE?!?!’

 

No.

 

Midoriya Izuku’s right hand was still firmly taped to the steering wheel of the Toyota AE86 as he sent the FR car drifting into the right-handed hairpin corner with almost no countersteer applied to stabilise the drift - because it was already stable enough.

 

Midoriya Izuku was a master of weight-transfer.

 

The Eight-Six floored its accelerator on the way out the corner.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“I wonder if the race is over yet…” pouted Denki as he sat next to his street-racer boyfriend who was currently taking a left-handed hairpin corner at speeds faster than he can comprehend.

 

“We left around 30 seconds after they set off.” replied Eijirou as he stabilised the Silvia that was now quickly getting used to. “So they should be around the five consecutive hairpins ahead.”

 

The Silvia exited the corner smoothly and prepared to make its way around the next few corners.

 

“Ugh…!” groaned the yellow-haired boy as he gripped firmly onto the grab-handle on the roof. “I just wanted to drive today!”

 

“Don’t worry,” Kirishima Eijirou flashed a smile to the boy in the passenger seat as they came up to the first hairpin out of five. “We can always drive another day.”

 

“You’re driving my car now.” his body dove forward as the driver executed a full-braking technique.

 

“It’s a good car; like I said.” the car began drifting into the corner. “By the way, good job not passing out yet!”

 

He received a playful punch on his left shoulder.

 

“By the way, you’ve been drifting without steering too much, haven’t you?” Denki observed.

 

Kirishima Eijirou’s right hand had never left the wheel.

 

“Yep. Just practicing.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The Toyota Sprinter Trueno barged its way out of the last hairpin of Haruna’s downhill and began driving its way down a long straightaway with a red Honda Civic following a few metres behind.

 

Both engines snarled at each other as their drivers demanded their best performances, and the EG6 with the slightly more powerful engine began to make up for the previous losses in time.

 

Revving up to 8000 RPM, Kuroiro Shihai shifted his car into fourth gear as his speedometer climbed above 130 km/h as it inched its way towards the running Trueno.

 

‘Don’t you worry, Eight-Six.’ thought the Civic driver maniacally. ‘Your chance in the junkyard will still come…’

 

He soon had the Eight-Six almost bumper-to-bumper, before steering to the right to allow his EG6 to be next to the leading car.

 

‘Because this race ends in a crash!’ he kept his foot down on the accelerator as he steered left to hit the Eight-Six.

 

Unfortunately, the other driver was so focused on destroying the AE86 that he didn’t notice that the straight had already ran out and led into a long medium-speed right-handed corner.

 

Which the Trueno had dived right into after just tapping the brakes, and executing a perfect zero-countersteer drift as its tyres scraped off excess speed for the car.

 

… while the red Honda crashed straight into the guardrail at 100 km/h as the driver stepped on the brakes as soon as his mistake was realised.

 

‘BAM!’

 

The front-left headlight of the EG6 broke into pieces as the car’s left side pressed flat against the guardrail as the road turned right.

 

‘SCREE!’

 

The left side of the Civic scraped harshly against metal as red paint was removed from the car slice by slice.

 

The red Honda EG6 came to a stop as some distance away ahead in the downhill - an AE86 announced its departure with a howl.

 

Kuroiro Shihai had lost.

 

And more than lost; he also fractured his taped hand’s wrist as he felt sharp pain when he tried moving his hand; sighing with relief that he hadn’t hurt anything else, he began to untape his hand from the wheel.

 

He lost, but… strangely; he wasn’t angry at all. Instead; he felt a strange relief as he recalled the way the Trueno drove in front of him.

 

That Eight-Six was driven by a monster.

 

A monster who impressed him with amazing skills and adaptability.

 

… there really were such drivers that exist in this world...

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Hey, is that…?” Kaminari Denki saw a speck of light as they exited the final hairpin of Haruna.

 

Kirishima Eijirou also soon saw the light as he put the accelerator down.

 

“It… it couldn’t be.” that headlight shape was not the Eight-Six, and he relaxed after realising the fact. “Yeah, it’s not Izuku.”

 

The yellow-haired boy next to him relaxed visibly and sunk back down into his seat.

 

“Then it must be the asshole who crashed his car instead.” stated Denki as the other boy slowed down the car when they approached the light.

 

When their headlights lit up the car in front; it was indeed a ruined red EG6, with broken glass debris scattered all over the road and a cracked windshield.

 

The red-haired male brought the yellow Nissan to a stop close to the red Honda.

 

“Well, that means Izuku won.” he pulled the handbrake before they both stepped out the car to do what’s right.

 

Eventually they managed to get the Honda driver to get into their car and brought the NightKids member to the nearest hospital.

 

That night; Izuku went to bed as soon as he got home in his AE86, sleeping off his anger and fatigue.

* * *

 


	13. Challenge From A Super-Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was time for Izuku to face his biggest challenge yet.

* * *

A few minutes before a certain AE86 was forced into a race with a certain EG6...

 

“Here’s your allowance for next week.” said a middle-aged man as he handed Uraraka Ochako an envelope after she gotten into the passenger seat of a black 1996 Mercedes-Benz W210 E-Class - a luxury car fitting for the salaryman who made more than they could spend.

 

“This is more money than last time, papa.” gasped the girl after she took a peek into the envelope.

 

“Yes, of course my dear.” came the response from the man driving the car through the traffic. “Because you have been very good, this is a reward from me.”

 

“I see… thank you, papa.” she kept her allowance into her purse, and placed it neatly into her small handbag. “I’m sleepy, papa. Wake me up when we get home, okay?”

 

“Sure.” The man stopped their car at a traffic light that just turned red, leaving the Mercedes to idle.

 

Around thirty minutes later, they arrived to where they wanted to go; a luxurious apartment block built in the richer part of the city and usually bought up by older people who had more money sitting in their banks.

 

“We’re here, wake up.” smiled the man.

 

“... ah…”

 

* * *

 

 

It was nearly 12 at midnight. Todoroki Shouto sat in his room, and continued to come up with simulations of racing against the AE86 in his FC3S.

 

Bakugou Katsuki recognised this as half-and-half’s new obsession.

 

While the adopted Todoroki (Katsuki) had a different way of obsessing over the Eight-Six - driving up and down Akagi two to three times as much and practiced every single day - Shouto did it by cramping himself in his room and looking over data he collected of the car and the driver during the race with the GT-R.

 

Weight was the important factor that he determined to defeat the Eight-Six, but his Mazda RX-7 was around 200-300 kilogrammes heavier than the other car…

 

… perhaps if he used a similar power-to-weight ratio to battle…?

 

The enter key was hit particularly loudly as the male smiled.

 

“It’s time.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Izuku! Are you awake yet?”

 

He blinked groggily before replying to his mother downstairs.

 

“Yes, mom!”

 

“Come down!”

 

What is going on this morning? Sighing, he left his bed and walked down the stairs sleepily; taking care to not miss a step and trip down the staircase.

 

“What is it?” he asked his mother, who stood next to the idling family car in front of the house - she must have parked it there for easier loading of the tofu.

 

… OH.

 

THE TOFU.

 

He completely forgotten to make a fresh badge yesterday!

 

“Mommy made the tofu today, but...” she turned back to Izuku while pointing a finger at a particular spot on the car - was that a dent?! “What happened to the car, Izuku?”

 

The car… the Eight-Six… did he even drive yesterday…?

 

He couldn’t remember.

 

“I don’t know…” he yawned out loud before pouting at his mother. “You didn’t drive the car yesterday?”

 

“No!” defended Inko. “I came home, and saw the car having three dents and scratches all over!”

 

“Hmm… this is weird…” Izuku said as he squatted down next to the dented rear-right fender of the Toyota as he scratched at his head through his mess of green hair. “I don’t-”

 

His eyes widened as memories of the race against a particular red Honda the previous night flashed before his eyes.

 

“Oh.” Guilt began to eat at his feelings as he remembered the way he treated the car yesterday.

 

“What is it?” asked Midoriya Inko. “Did you remember anything?”

 

“Yeah… I…” he grinned sheepishly and laughed nervously while scratching at his head, looking at anywhere else but the car or his mother. “I… might have hit the car a little yesterday…”

 

“... what happened, Izuku…?” his mother’s tone of voice was concerned. “Did you get into an accident?”

 

“... something like that, I guess.” came his response.

 

“The tyres have been wearing out faster than usual, too...” came another observation from Inko. “Are you racing the car, Izuku?”

 

The son flinched a little.

 

“Uh…” Izuku didn’t know how to respond, or how his mother would react to knowing that he had began street-racing like his late father.

 

“Anyway, you better hurry up, Izuku.” said his mother hastily as she handed a water cup to the green-haired teen. “You’re going to be late.”

 

“Okay, mom.” he said as he opened the door to get into the car; feeling guilty for both damaging the car and hiding the truth from his mother.

 

Midoriya Inko watched from her spot as her son turned on the headlights, and drove away the Trueno smoothly from a standstill after disengaging the handbrake - she had an inkling to what was going on.

 

Her son was street-racing, like his father Midoriya Hisashi.

 

She knew it was inevitable with how her son drove Haruna every single day, but she didn’t know how to proceed.

 

But later that day, after 9 A.M. and Toshinori’s workshop opened up, she would call up the shop to get him to fix the Toyota, and also have a long chat with him.

 

* * *

 

 

“Flowers?”

 

It was 2 in the afternoon after his lunch break, and Aizawa Shouta stared unamused at the man who delivered a bouquet of roses to his gas station; as all the workers in the station (who were currently free as there were no other vehicles in the gas stand) stood by him with interest.

 

“Are you sure? This is a gas station…” His eyes caught a card inside the bouquet, and he pulled it out to read it. “It’s for you, Izuku.”

 

Izuku received the card from his manager.

 

“Oh! Who’s it from, Izuku!” teased Kaminari Denki. “You get a girlfriend?”

 

“It’s from Todoroki Shouto.” drawled Shouta as he watched Izuku fight a blush unsuccessfully on his face. “Addressed to ‘Trueno’.”

 

“Wow! A date from Todoroki Shouto! The number-one of RedSuns himself!” laughed the yellow-haired boy before he took the card from Izuku and read it for himself. “Lets see… Saturday at the top of Haruna at 10 P.M… doesn’t sound like much of a date…”

 

Kirishima Eijirou just shook his head amusedly at Denki’s obliviousness before smacking his boyfriend’s capped head lightly.

 

“It’s not a date, you idiot.” chided the red-haired male. “It’s a call to challenge. Shouto said he’s gonna race Izuku.”

 

“WHAT?!” exclaimed the yellow-haired boy.

 

“Well; if that’s all.” said the manager of the gas station as he saw a car drive in. “We have a customer pulling in, get to work!”

 

“Yes sir!” Kaminari Denki went to tend to the new customer; leaving Eijirou and Izuku alone with the note back in the green-haired boy’s hands.

 

“... Kirishima-senpai…” called Izuku, as he recalled a race that happened nearly a month ago. “When I was racing the GT-R, there was a white FC that followed us all the way.”

 

“That was Shouto’s FC.” smiled the older boy at Izuku. “He started chasing after you guys set off.”

 

“I didn’t really notice since I was busy racing the GT-R, but…” Izuku stared at traffic driving past the gas station on the main avenue. “After the race, I thought about it; he seemed really fast… probably faster than anyone I’ve raced so far…”

 

Kirishima Eijirou pouted in slight contemplation before speaking again.

 

“Izuku, you’re really good; to be able to notice that.” he stated before also staring at cars driving by the gas stand. “Because Shouto, is indeed very, very fast.”

 

The green-haired boy turned to look at the older boy who stood right next to him, as Kaminari Denki ran back to them to rejoin the conversation after the customer left.

 

“You probably haven’t heard of this; but around three years ago, Shouto raced alone.” Eijirou said as if reading a history book. “The RedSuns didn’t exist then; it was founded later. I was able to join RedSuns because of Katsuki.”

 

“But three years ago,” continued the red-haired male. “Shouto and his FC was known as the White Comet of Akagi.”

 

“... that sounds a little bit too cool to be true…” mumbled Kaminari Denki, before turning to face his classmate. “Izuku, do you really want to race someone that strong…?”

 

“...” the boy stared off into nowhere for a few seconds.

 

“I think I should try it.”

 

The answer caused Kirishima Eijirou to smile with pride for the younger male: If Izuku himself hadn’t noticed it…

 

The boy had started to feel like a racer.

* * *

 


	14. Akagi's White Comet; Todoroki Shouto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Todoroki Shouto; the legendary, analytical and theory-loving undefeated racer.

* * *

Yagi Toshinori watched as the Midoriya’s Panda Eight-Six pulled into his car workshop; decorated with fresh dents and scratches across its rear bumper and fenders.

 

“Izuku hit it up pretty bad, didn’t he?” chuckled the old blond after Inko got out of the Toyota. “These scratches… I should have it back to you in a few hours without issue.”

 

“That’s fine.” said the female Midoriya as the man immediately got to work and rummaged for tools that he would need. “But there’s something I’d like to talk to you about, if you don’t mind.”

 

“Go ahead.”

 

“It’s about Izuku. You know about him street-racing, don’t you?” Toshinori stilled for a moment after that question. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed that recent suspension tuning you done to the car.”

 

Midoriya Inko had a sharp eye for small, unnoticeable things - and she definitely noticed the way the Eight-Six sat  _ differently  _ while parked in the lot one day - and it was further confirmed when she drove the car here.

 

“Heavy understeer under acceleration…?”

 

“... Inko.” the old man sighed. “I know you don’t like street-racing after what happened to Hisashi, but… he asked me to take care of his son if he  _ ever  _ started to  _ race _ .”

 

“...”

 

“These scratches, they happened because of a gum-tape deathmatch.” said Toshinori.

 

“... How would you know that?” Inko was surprised to hear that her son raced under such rules and made it out alive.

 

“Shouta told me.” recalled the old man as he moved to another corner of the room to find touch-up paint. “According to Izuku’s friends; the driver he raced against last night, was a real scum.”

 

“I see…”

 

“Let’s go for a drive after I’m done, okay?”

 

“... sure.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“What?” exclaimed Iida Tenya after hearing the blond’s statement. “A pro racing team wants to recruit Shouto?”

 

“Something like that; I don’t fucking know.” grumbled Bakugou Katsuki. “Don’t even know how they heard of the half-and-half bastard.”

 

“RedSuns does go out for formal racing tournaments; don’t we?” asked Tenya for clarification, which the blond grunted in confirmation. “They must have gotten his contact from the organisers.”

 

“Tch. Can’t be helped.” said Katsuki angrily as he drank a cup of coffee. “That half-and-half bastard drives fast and sets records after all. You’d be fucking blind not to notice.”

 

“I wonder how he would respond to the offer…”

 

Katsuki huffed.

 

A few hours later, in a certain workshop in the afternoon…

 

“You rejected the offer?” came an exclamation from another RedSuns logistical member and mechanic - Sero Hanta. “Man, if it was Katsuki, he would’ve jumped at the offer.”

 

“That’s because Katsuki wants to become a pro. I have no interest in driving around a circuit, however.” smiled Todoroki Shouto, standing next to his newly-retuned FC. “Street-racing… it’s a more interesting stage than the pro world will ever be.”

 

“That’s too bad.” said Hanta, packing up his toolbox neatly. “Well, that’s all done to your specs now.”

 

“Thank you, Hanta.”

 

“Hey, anytime man.” smiled the mechanic. “You’re paying me for this, anyway; I should be thanking you.”

 

He smiled with a breathe through his nose before getting into his Mazda and starting it up for the next task of the day; picking up his younger sister from school.

 

Around half an hour later after mindlessly driving through Gunma like a radar-guided robot; Shouto arrived at the college, with Todoroki Fuyumi waiting at the gates dressed in her school uniform - white top, navy dress.

 

He pulled up his car smoothly and parked next to the girl for her to get into the passenger seat - who immediately sighed from stress when she sat down onto the racing seat.

 

“I gotten Cs again. And a single D. I really need help with English and Physics...” she said dejectedly as she looked at Shouto who began merging with traffic before sighing. “My brain isn’t like yours, Shouto… I’m like Natsuo; no good at all!”

 

“How can you say that?” came the response from the oldest Todoroki as he kept focus on the road ahead. “You shouldn’t listen to what our dad says about our abilities...”

 

“It’s not that, I just… really hate the national exams.” said the younger sister as she stared out the window. “I mean, you’re great at studies… you’re definitely able to become a doctor.”

 

“It’s expected of me as the oldest in the family.” The male stated without emotion. “I grew up with dad’s expectations hanging over me…”

 

“You’re gonna become a doctor for sure.”

 

“I don’t know if I am able to...” stated Shouto as he stopped the Mazda for a red light. “But, If I had a choice; I wouldn’t want to become a doctor, either.”

 

“Don’t kid around with me!” smiled Todoroki Fuyumi. “You’re definitely going to become a great doctor!”

 

Shouto simply chuckled in response.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Later that at night, a certain AE86 was parked at the observatory of Haruna, with Yagi Toshinori and Midoriya Inko stood by it as they stared at the city lights of Shibukawa.

 

“Hisashi always told me that the Eight-Six was a car that trained its driver. I never knew what he meant until I drove the Eight-Six for myself…” stated the older male as he looked at a particularly tall building. “Izuku is a good driver, Inko; to be able to drive this car.”

 

“Izuku is a good driver, I know that.” said the green-haired mother of the boy. “I know from the way the car looks - from its four tyres and the water cup - when it gets back home every single day…”

 

“So why are you worried about him street-racing?” asked Toshinori as he glanced a little at the old family friend. “If he can control the car - drift, even - without spilling a drop of water from the cup?”

 

“Because of what happened to Hisashi.” came the simple response which held more meaning to it than what meets the eye. “Because of what happened to everyone I knew who raced; Mitsuki… Masaru...”

 

She stared at the Trueno parked in front of her - remembering how it looked like with the front-end completely dug in, tainted with a cracked, bloody windscreen along with more scratches than she could count - with her dead husband sat in the driver’s seat when she got to the scene cordoned off by the police.

 

“Listen, Inko.” said the owner of All-Might Automobile trying to rationalise for the young boy. “Racing is in Izuku’s blood - even you did back when you were younger.”

 

“I know that; it’s how I met Hisashi.” came the reply as she opened up the passenger’s door. “I can’t help but worry because I’m his mother. What if the same thing happens to my son?”

 

That rainy summer morning in 1988 at 04:21, a drunk driver that sped on the uphill of Haruna in a black zenki A70 Supra collided head-on with their Eight-Six that drifted in the correct lane without even crossing the centre line after finishing a delivery - but they hit anyway; because of the drunk driver.

 

They didn’t even bring Hisashi to the ambulance as both drivers were pronounced dead on impact.

 

Izuku was only 14 years old that day.

 

Could you blame Inko for worrying the same fate might happen to her son?

 

“... next Saturday.” sighed Yagi Toshinori as he got into the driver’s seat and closed the door. “Izuku will be racing.”

 

Midoriya Inko watched as the older male started the engine after she buckled herself in with the safety belt.

 

“Go and watch.” simply said the old man as he also fastened his belt. “Then maybe you’ll understand, and let him go do what he wants to do.”

 

The Midoriya looked into the eyes of the old man.

 

“I shall.”

 

The Eight-Six was then sent charging down Haruna at full speed; breaking in the new tyres.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Meanwhile, in another mountain in the Gunma area...

 

“Why the fuck am I out here for now, you half-and-half bastard.” grumbled Bakugou Katsuki as he got out of his yellow FD3S at the top of Akagi.

 

“I’ve called you out here because I needed you to confirm something.” said Shouto who sat on the hood of his white FC3S. “I did some adjustments to my car.”

 

Hearing that, Bakugou Katsuki immediately stopped being so grouchy and instead began to listen with attention.

 

“For the race against Deku?” he crossed his arms as he stood in front of the white Mazda. “How much power has it got now?”

 

“260 HP.”

 

“You lowered the fucking power?” the blond was taken by surprise. “Why?”

 

“Remember I said that balance is key in the downhill? You learnt that the hard way racing against him, didn’t you?” smiled Todoroki Shouto. “Up until today, my FC was tuned for both uphill and downhill racing.

 

I was confident that I could handle big power on the downhill, up until that Eight-Six showed up, so I have put my pride aside in order to win against him.”

 

Bakugou Katsuki stared at the white 1990 Mazda RX-7 Savanna in silence, as he remembered the vividly dynamic way the Eight-Six driven by Deku took corners - and if Shouto had to go this far…

 

“Another reason for my detuning, is so I won’t just catch up easily on the straights.” stated Todoroki Shouto. “I have to win against him with my skills.”

 

“Get into your FD. I’ll show you.” With that, Shouto began to make his car for his car for his demonstration of the newly-tuned FC3S.

 

If you thought that Shouto would easily leave Katsuki behind with his skills; you’re mistaken - as Bakugou Katsuki had improved greatly after his loss against Midoriya Izuku, and his skills were now almost on-par with Todoroki Shouto.

 

The two twin-rotary engines roared down the mountain pass of Akagi, as Katsuki chased almost bumper-to-bumper with the leading FC.

 

As soon as the first corner approached, the improvements in skill by the blond was made clear, as no gap was between the two cars as they braked and began drifting into the left-handed corner.

 

However, as soon as the mid-way point of the corner was reached and the two cars needed to accelerate out; the difference made by the tuning was clear, as the leading white FC began to pull away due to its new ability to floor the gas out of corners, as the two cars made their way down the twisty roads.

 

“Fucking…” grumbled the blond as he was finally able to floor the gas. “It’s gotten faster out of corners…”

 

Bakugou Katsuki still managed to keep up in his yellow FD, but as more corners presented themselves, the gap between the two cars slowly became wider and wider.

 

With the retuned FC, Todoroki Shouto will not lose - he was ready for the showdown next Saturday on Haruna - he will challenge a drift with a drift, and speed with speed.

 

Right now; he was Akagi’s White Comet, and not Todoroki Shouto of the RedSuns.

* * *

 


	15. Awkward Izuku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts about the future troubles Izuku's mind before the big race.

* * *

A few days later in the afternoon with a certain awkward boy and uncertain girl.

 

“What are you mumbling about again, Izuku?”

 

“Ah! Nothing…” blushed the green-haired boy as he realised that he was mumbling again about the race with the FC again.

 

“You’re always like this…” pouted the female as they walked towards the parking lot to make their way to the recently-fixed Trueno. “You… don’t like going out with me?”

 

“No- no, it’s not that.” denied the boy.

 

“So, what’s on your mind?” asked Uraraka Ochako.

 

“I don’t know if you’ll get it… but…”

 

Midoriya Izuku’s panicked explanation of cars and street-racing and his upcoming race against a famous racer named Todoroki Shouto next Saturday begins at light-speed before coming to a sudden and abrupt stop.

 

“EH?!” gasped the girl. “So you race? I’m surprised you’re into such things...”

 

“My opponent is well known and fast…” mumbled the green-haired teen. “So I don’t even know if I’m able to win.”

 

“Well… you’re very skilled, right Izuku?” smiled Ochako. “I don’t even get dizzy when you drive; because I usually do when riding in cars.”

 

Looking at the lake before they walked up to parked Trueno in the lot at Lake Haruna; the girl spoke again.

 

“By the way…” recalled Ochako regarding a certain topic as they approached the car. “It’s been on my mind for awhile… you hit Minoru in the locker room after a sports festival, didn’t you…? In second year…”

 

“What?” Izuku was surprised that the topic was brought up as he unlocked the doors. “It has been a year, why talk about it now?”

 

“I know what happened…” stated the girl as she got into the passenger’s seat. “You got angry because of what was said about me, right?”

 

Midoriya Izuku fit the key into the lock, and turned it to start the engine of the car - and air-conditioning began to cool the insides of the car down after being heated by the sun.

 

“I misunderstood you, Izuku.” said Uraraka Ochako as she leaned over from her seat, closing in to Izuku. “You did what you did because of me…”

 

The green-haired boy’s face blushed red when he realised their proximity.

 

Their lips touched as the Eight-Six sat innocently in the parking lot waiting to be driven.

  


* * *

 

  


The day after, in a certain Esso gas stand that we know and love with our familiar boys being its loyal employees:

 

“Hey, guess what I heard yesterday.” smiled Eijirou to Denki with a knowing look.

 

“What; what?” grinned the yellow-haired boy as he immediately registered that face as mischief. “What kind of story did you hear?”

 

“I heard from someone driving around Lake Haruna yesterday that Izuku went out with a girl!”

 

“WOW!” exclaimed Denki as he looked at the named boy far away, currently serving a customer. “And here I thought he’d die a virgin.”

 

“Naw, don’t be like that, Denki!” laughed Eijirou. “He’s kinda cute and you know it!”

 

“Yeah…” sighed the yellow-haired boyfriend of the red-haired male. “I’m gonna find out more.”

 

With that, he ran towards the green-haired boy to ask him out for a drive tomorrow night.

  


* * *

 

  


“Don’t have an accident, Izuku. Promise me.”

 

That was what Ochako had said earlier that day - he remembered clearly as he sat in the passenger seat of the yellow Silvia owned by his friend, driving up the roads of Haruna at a decent pace.

 

“So… Izuku…” smirked Denki mischievously, and Izuku immediately was put on guard. “Why didn’t you say anything about going out with a girl?”

 

The Midoriya boy sputtered.

 

“What?”

 

“Anyway; that’s not what I asked you out here today for.” said the yellow-haired boy as he parked the car at the side of the road. “You’ve been spacing out quite a lot recently, I noticed; what’s on your mind?”

 

“Uh…”

 

“It’s not the girl, is it?”

 

“No, it’s not.” Izuku responded with a blush as they got out of the car. “It’s about… the race this Saturday…”

 

“What about it?”

 

“I have this strange feeling…”

 

“What do you mean?” pouted Kaminari Denki before suddenly looking like a bulb lit up in his head. “Oh! Don’t tell me - you’ve fallen in love for Todoroki Shouto! Oh - the tragic love triangle of Midoriya Izuku’s life.”

 

“NO!” blushed Izuku again, and tried to speak again after he calmed down his embarrassment. “I’m just… thinking about the future.”

 

“You’re thinking that far ahead?”

 

“Not about my love life, Denki…” Izuku said indignantly as he stared at the night sky. “I just… don’t know what I will do after the race - like - win or lose; will I continue racing and become something more…? Or is this it…?”

 

…

 

“Man…” Denki broke the few seconds of silence after the other boy’s speech. “I don’t know either; I never seen you like this.”

 

Izuku heard a faint roar of a turbocharged 13B engine far, far away down at the foot of the mountain.

 

A yellow FD3S drove up the roads of Haruna that night with Bakugou Katsuki behind its wheel - who currently was driving to blow off some steam.

 

Because the blond had never seen Todoroki Shouto be so serious for a race before - the half-and-half bastard said he never used his full strength to race any opponent - but seeing his actions the past few days made Katsuki more anxious and tense.

 

He braked for a corner and threw his car into a right-handed corner - he was only driving at 70% because he didn’t want to risk an accident for nothing.

 

Coming back to the topic; that was the thing - he didn’t know if half-and-half or Deku would win the race this Saturday - and he didn’t know how he would feel if either won or lost.

 

It was confusing - either way; he wouldn’t be happy with the outcome of the race.

 

A speck of headlights appeared in his rear-view mirrors as he steered a gentle left-hander.

 

‘Good.’ he thought as he pressed down the accelerator to prepare for a full-speed attack uphill, revving his engine up to 7700 RPM at third gear and speeding at 120 km/h. ‘Be my opponent, whoever you are; if you’re fucking able to keep up!’

 

Behind him; an unmistakable sound of a RB26DETT growled out loud in response; and he re-checked his rear-view mirror - a car with rectangular headlights… in black...

 

… Tokoyami Fumikage’s R32 GT-R!

 

Smirking wildly as a right-handed hairpin corner approached, he braked just enough and downshifted for the corner; initiating a perfectly-balanced tailslide at the perfect angle to maximise cornering speed, causing his tyres to squeal slightly as his throttle was left wide open.

 

‘I’m not gonna fucking lose to you!’ thought Bakugou Katsuki towards the other driver who had also lost against a certain Eight-Six.

 

If he lost… it meant that the other was faster.

 

‘He’s sharp!’ thought Fumikage in the chasing Three-Two as he barely managed to keep up with his more powerful Nissan while gritting his teeth, fighting against the forces acting on his body as he steered. ‘He’s improved a whole lot…!’

 

Soon the two cars flew out of the hairpin curve, and prepared for a high-speed section with twisting bends.

 

‘Compared to before racing the Eight-Six…’ the Nissan driver punched his right foot hard onto the gas pedal to chase after the FD3S - they were neck and neck with each other with the average distance between them kept constant. ‘Bakugou Katsuki had improved… one mistake and he’ll slip away from me…!’

 

Meanwhile, at a parked Silvia close to where the two cars were charging up the hill:

 

“I’m afraid I’m not fast enough to win against Todoroki Shouto…” the green-haired boy expressed his concerns.

 

‘VRRRRRRRRH!’ engine sounds reverberated through the mountain.

 

“Wait, I hear some loud noises!” said Denki as his attention was taken by the noise. “A car…?”

 

“It’s two cars...”

 

The boys watched as two sets of rapidly incoming headlights appeared before them, heading uphill; accompanied by roaring engines and squealing tyres.

 

It was a yellow FD3S, followed by a black BNR32!

 

The two cars flew past them like rockets, leaving wind to blow at the two boys stood by the side of the road harshly as the two cars driving at full pace disappeared into another corner hidden by the cliffside, tyres kicking up smoke as they dove into the corner.

 

“... wow…” Izuku was amazed by the dynamic sight, aftershocks of the emotion still flowing through his veins. “That was scary… they’re fast!”

 

“What the hell are you talking about?!” exclaimed Kaminari Denki. “Those two already lost to you; don’t you recognise their cars?”

 

“Yeah… but… only in Haruna...” Izuku trailed off. “Those two, no matter where they are; are really fast…”

 

The yellow-haired teen stared at his friend as his words made sense to him; those two are indeed fast, not just on a single piece of road - how fast, exactly?

 

Well, they are currently on around the mid-point of Haruna, and those two had already reached the peak of the mountain after two minutes.

 

The FD and R32 came to a stop with their headlights left on.

 

“Tokoyami Fumikage of the NightKids…” growled Bakugou Katsuki as he stepped out of his parked FD. “With the shitty black R32…”

 

(Bakugou Katsuki hates 4WD cars - especially GT-Rs and Lan-Evos.)

 

“Hmph.” the driver of the Nissan closed his eyes at the insult. “You’re one to talk; you and your yellow FD… no taste at all.”

 

The blond-haired male felt a vein twitch angrily in his forehead.

 

“Well fuck you if you don’t like it; it’s my fucking car.” he shouted at the other male before smirking. “Anyway, you shouldn’t fucking gloat because you managed to keep up when I didn’t even drive at full speed.”

 

(Actually, that was Katsuki’s max speed.)

 

Fumikage was taken aback slightly - he had been going at 100%... well, he decided on another course of action.

 

“Is that so?” he also smirked. “Neither did I drive at full speed, so…”

 

“Fucking race me, asshole.” frowned the blond. “After the race this Saturday… I’ll look for you.”

 

The driver of the yellow RX-7 had already decided to leave after saying what he wanted to; but was instead stopped by the leader of the NightKids team of Myougi.

 

“Bakugou Katsuki.” called out Fumikage as he leaned a hand on the roof of his black Nissan. “I think a while ago; something happened to that Eight-Six…”

 

He stopped whatever he was doing - which was trying to open the door of his car - to listen to whatever the other had to say since it involved Deku and his shitty junker of an Eight-Six.

 

“I have a teammate, named Kuroiro Shihai.” began the driver of the black GT-R. “Recently, he lost and fractured his arm after racing against the Eight-Six in a gum-tape deathmatch.”

 

“A gum-tape deathmatch?” Katsuki repeated - he heard about those kinds of races, but never drove in such rules himself.

 

“He’s not the kind of guy to admit that someone else is better than him.” continued the Nissan driver. “But ever since he came back with a cast; he just goes on and on about the Eight-Six’s skills.”

 

Tokoyami Fumikage looked into the eyes of Bakugou Katsuki.

 

“I think that Eight-Six… has some unexplanable power.” stated the NightKids leader. “Just race him, and watch him drift; and you’ll be captivated. I’m sure you have experienced it too.”

 

Katsuki knew exactly what the other was talking about - Deku and his Eight-Six, digging their way into his mind and never letting go; there hasn’t been a day where his mind was free of the 14-year-old Toyota after meeting it on the downhill of Haruna.

 

Every single racer who raced against, or even just watched Midoriya Izuku in his AE86 on the downhill, will be absorbed into a loop of never-ending obsession after watching how the car drifted, smooth like flowing water.

 

“I wish to race him again. That’s why I came to Haruna tonight.” smiled Fumikage. “You might not understand; but I don’t want him to lose to anyone but me.”

 

Katsuki huffed.

 

“That’s too bad.” said the usually-angry blond as he opened the driver’s door of his RX-7. “Because that Deku will lose to me, eventually; if the half-and-half bastard don’t beat him this Saturday.”

 

Tokoyami Fumikage stared as the yellow FD3S departed.

* * *

 


	16. The Big Race

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day has finally come, and all of Gunma's street-racing scene turned into a picture of contradicting emotions.

* * *

Saturday came quicker than expected, and the entire street-racing scene of Gunma was on edge of the anticipated battle between the rising legend - Haruna’s Eight-Six driven by a still-unknown driver - and the current racing legend - Todoroki Shouto who made his name three years ago.

 

Whoever who knew about the race; and what it symbolises for the future of Gunma’s street-racing scene; were all very excited before this day. But when Saturday came; everyone felt anxiety, and uncertainty.

 

Such examples were Kaminari Denki and Kirishima Eijirou, who could not concentrate on work at all today - and not just them; even their manager, Aizawa Shouta; couldn’t really focus even though he managed to get his employees to work.

 

Night came too soon.

 

An hour before the set time for battle at 10 P.M, the mountain roads of Haruna had already began to fill up with spectators taking up the best spots to watch the race from.

 

“Man… today’s race… The RedSuns; supposedly the best team in Gunma… Todoroki Shouto had to step up to challenge the Eight-Six to keep that status…”

 

“I think Todoroki Shouto will definitely win!”

 

“Nope, I don’t think so. I’ve watched the Eight-Six race before; its speed is incredible.”

 

“Both the FD and the GT-R have lost to him.”

 

Conversations similar to that were held all through the mountain - speculations, worry, excitement, uncertainty - all sorts of emotions were held within the roads of Haruna as the crowds patiently waited for the stars of the night to arrive in their cars.

 

“HERE THEY COME! THE REDSUNS!” screamed an excited audience with a pounding heart, as a pack of 5 cars led by a white FC3S appeared.

 

The team was positioned in chronological order: white FC, yellow FD, red S14 and so on.

 

Kaminari Denki was sat in the passenger seat of the number-three of RedSuns as he followed the pace of the leading cars closely; not being left behind as the team climbed uphill at a comfortable pace.

 

“There’s so many people…” Denki felt anxiety and tension thick in the air. “If I was Izuku… I would have ran away…”

 

The crowds at Haruna that night was greater than that of the race against Bakugou Katsuki or Tokoyami Fumikage put together.

 

“The people here today…” said the red-haired boy as he followed the yellow FD in front of him. “Are here because of the skills of the two that are going to race today.”

 

The RedSuns team zoomed by, as the crowds grew excited after one of the stars of today finally showed up.

 

“Up until now; Todoroki Shouto never used his true skills when racing.” stated a member of the audience who seemed particularly well-versed in Gunma’s street-racing history. “No matter who he raced against, he never showed his true potential. I want to see it just once; the true skills of Todoroki Shouto in his FC…”

 

“The racer who never lost…” spoke another member of the gallery. “Everyone would like to see him lose for the first time ever…”

 

Todoroki Shouto… will he use his full power this race?

 

“Hmph.” chuckled a female who observed the FC3S drive by. “Y’know what, Kyouka? Todoroki Shouto looks really handsome.”

 

“Here we go again…” sighed Jirou Kyouka. “Ashido Mina’s thirst. We came all the way here instead of practicing at Usui so you could look at some guys.”

 

If any person who was familiar with the car they stood in front of; they would immediately know that these two girls were no ordinary people.

 

Blue Nissan Sileighty; Mount Usui’s fastest pair: Impact Blue.

 

* * *

 

 

Todoroki Shouto leaned on the passenger’s door of his FC as he watched the anxious crowds on Haruna that night.

 

“Katsuki.” he called out as he noticed the blond close to him. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while…”

 

The blond did nothing to interrupt.

 

“If I lose this race; I’ll retire.”

 

“Tch.” responded Bakugou Katsuki. “The fuck are you talking about? Get your shit together, asshole.”

 

Shouto simply chuckled.

 

“I’ll stop racing, and work behind the scenes instead.” continued the leader of RedSuns, ignoring Katsuki. “Up until now; there’s only two drivers with the potential to surpass me. One of them is you, Katsuki.”

 

“...” the blond-haired male stayed silent.

 

“The other person…”

 

The unmistakable sound of the 4-AGE engine powering Haruna’s Eight-Six filled up the night air; reverberating through the sky as a set of headlights illuminated the roads as the Trueno announced its presence in the area.

 

“IT’S THE EIGHT-SIX! IT’S HERE!”

 

“HARUNA’S DOWNHILL MASTER!”

 

Excitement began to fill up the galleries again as the galleries watched the Toyota drive up to the peak of the mountain - the mysterious newcomer to the street-racing scene that managed to beat two top drivers of the prefecture in an underpowered AE86.

 

“So, who will win?” asked a random member of the gallery to his friend as they watched the Trueno drive past.

 

“It’s hard to say… this race is unique.” came the response. “If possible; I want to cheer for both drivers…”

 

The same, unspoken consensus was unified throughout every single person who stood on the grounds of Haruna that night.

 

Todoroki Shouto and Haruna’s Eight-Six were not just fast; their techniques carried with them a certain charisma - and no matter who won or lost this particular race, nobody would feel good about the outcome; even though everyone wanted to know who exactly was the faster driver.

 

Because those two, were the heroes of street racing in Gunma - and these two heroes are going to duel it out on that night.

 

All of Mount Haruna had a heavy feeling hung over it; full of contradicting emotions.

 

“So who’s the other racer?” asked Katsuki again as he watched and heard the Eight-Six approach the peak of Haruna at 10 P.M. on the dot. “Is it him?”

 

The male simply smiled.

 

“Well; I haven’t lost to anyone yet.” said Todoroki Shouto. “Tonight… will be a fun night.”

 

* * *

 

 

“I’ve been waiting. I knew you’d come.” stated Todoroki Shouto in his usual, emotionless tone of voice after the green-haired boy gotten out of his car. “I envy you; being your age, and having such great skills...”

 

“It’s only because I drive Haruna a lot, and I’m used to the roads.” replied Midoriya Izuku abashedly, averting his eyes from the other’s gaze. “I don’t really think I have any special skills.”

 

Shouto chuckled with an amused look.

 

“You’re interesting, Midoriya Izuku.” smiled the driver of the RX-7. “I hope to sit down to have a chat with you one day.”

 

Shouto looked at the night sky for a moment, before eyeing the younger boy again.

 

“Shall we begin?”

 

“Please.”

 

“THE RACE IS STARTING!” took over Iida Tenya as he spoke to the crowds, and into the walkie-talkie at the same time. “EVERYBODY PLEASE MOVE YOUR CARS FROM THE ROADS!”

 

Bakugou Katsuki stared in silence at the logistical member of his team got busy on his walkie as everyone waited for people to move their cars from the entire mountain, off the road.

 

“Hey Katsuki.” called out the familiar voice of Kirishima Eijirou after he had been staring for a minute. “You okay, man? You look worried about something.”

 

“M’ fine.” grumbled out the blond. “Go back to your boyfriend; shitty hair.”

 

“Aw; c’mon.” smiled the red-haired male. “You want to count them off; is that it? I know how important this race is to you; go for it!”

 

“Tch.” Eijirou watched as the other moved away, and approached Tenya and seemed to talk to the logistical member about something.

 

Tenya nodded at Katsuki after their conversation.

 

It was time to start the race.

 

“ALRIGHT, START YOUR ENGINES, DAMMIT!” came the voice of Bakugou Katsuki as he stood in front of the two cars; as inline-4 and wankel engines roared into the night sky. “START IN FIVE SECONDS!”

 

The headlights of both white cars flipped open at almost the exact same time as he raised his right hand up high into the air as engines began to rev.

 

“FIVE!”

 

“FOUR!”

 

“THREE!”

 

“TWO!”

 

“ONE!”

 

“GO!”

 

Tyres squealed and the engines roared at full volume as the two cars raced past his sights - leaving him feeling satisfied that he started their race that night.

 

His thoughts were clear to him now after the two cars passed him, leaving the smell of rubber and gasoline in their wake; what outcome he wanted to see from the battle between half-and-half and Deku.

 

‘You better not lose this one, Deku.’ thought the blond as he watched the AE86 pull out ahead of the FC3S; even though the Mazda had more power. ‘Because I’ll be the one to beat you.’

  
‘So you better fucking _win_ , or I’ll never forgive you!’

* * *

 


	17. Unrelenting Pressure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The biggest challenge that Izuku faces yet; the undefeated racer Todoroki Shouto puts on the pressure!

* * *

Todoroki Shouto let the Eight-Six take the lead; as he trailed close behind in his FC - it was his usual start and strategy; the one that ensured his victory throughout the years by playing his opponents right into his hands.

 

Observe first, then overtake at a critical point in the race - that has always been his style; and he completely planned on copying the Eight-Six’s line.

 

The Trueno quickly led both cars to the first corner at speeds higher than 140 km/h, and they began braking and cutting their speed down at the very last moment possible before sending their cars drifting into the left-handed corner.

 

The sounds of tyre screeching and engines revving mixed loudly into the air as the RX-7 drifted nearly door-to-door next to the leading car at the exact same speed while their inner-front tyres nearly mounted the inner kerb of the road while sliding through it.

 

“Woah! Look at them drift!”

 

“That’s strange, Todoroki Shouto usually doesn’t drift this much!”

 

They exited the corner equally at full throttle, with the sides of their cars nearly grazing the guardrails as they straightened up and dashed out the corner with a strong current of wind in their wake.

 

“It’s a drift versus drift!” exclaimed an excited RedSuns member into the walkie-talkie after witnessing the spectacle. “Shouto-san is challenging the Eight-Six head-on with his own drifts!”

 

Kirishima Eijirou frowned after listening as he realised how difficult this battle will be for the green-haired boy - who honestly had little racing experience.

 

This will be his toughest battle yet.

 

‘Just get to the bottom safely, Izuku.’ prayed the red-haired male. ‘It's no shame if you lose against Shouto…!’

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Engines roared as the two white cars had already made their way into the third corner of the downhill, with the Eight-Six still leading the FC by its nose, and the Mazda following it closely with almost no gap between them.

 

They charged into the hairpin-right as their tyres scraped off speed from the car while scrambling for grip at the same time.

 

From this close distance; Shouto could even see the tyre movements of the car in front; and he realised something that surprised him.

 

He watched the front tyres of the Toyota, countersteering for the drift as it should be, but…

 

The countersteer had gotten smaller!

 

He stepped on the accelerator as both cars exited the corner while straightening themselves from the drift, driving like how he saw the Eight-Six did milliseconds ago; mirroring his every move.

 

That Eight-Six… had already gotten rid of his weakness of overly relying on the steering wheel, and had instead learnt to turn using momentum…

 

It hadn’t even been that long since its race with the GT-R, how was that possible?

 

He shifted up into third as his turbo pressure built up once more after.

 

‘… no matter.’ thought Shouto as he prepared for another move.

 

The Toyota and the Mazda charged into a gentle right-hand bend, before the Eight-Six ahead had swung its tail around smoothly in an instant without braking for the next corner.

 

An inertia drift! - and Shouto quickly followed; letting off the gas and increasing countersteer to swing the car around for the hard left hairpin before flooring the accelerator like the AE86.

 

‘The end result will still be the same…’ Shouto thought as he watched the fast Trueno ahead from the driver’s seat of his FC. ‘I will still win!’

 

‘But I wonder…’ frowned the Mazda driver as his car’s nose locked firmly onto the rear bumper of the leading Toyota. ‘How exactly did he get rid of his bad habit…?’

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


A certain Civic driver from NightKids stepped out of his car while his right hand was in a cast, after he parked next to a certain Skyline.

 

“Just to make it clear, Fumikage.” grumbled Kuroiro Shihai after he moved to stand next to the team leader. “I didn’t park here ‘cause I saw your car; I planned to come here from the start, so move somewhere else, would you?”

 

“Hmph.” the leader of NightKids huffed as he crossed his arms. “Of course not, this is the only place where this battle can be concluded.”

 

“All those amateurs watching from the five consecutive hairpins… the race won’t be settled there.” stated the driver of the recently-fixed Honda EG6. “A compound corner right after a short straight. With three lanes, this piece of road is one of the wider ones at Haruna. Both drivers have to go for their lines immediately after a braking showdown.”

 

“And whoever gets out of this corner first is the winner of this entire race.” concluded the GT-R driver. “Not bad, Shihai.”

 

“Same to you.” he smirked before adopting an annoyed look. “Tch; don’t stand so close to me - people might think we’re friends.”

 

“Tch; you go away.”

  
  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Midoriya Izuku floored the right-most pedal on of his Eight-Six as if his life depended on it while the headlights of the car behind lit up the insides of his Trueno ominously.

 

Why is there still no gap between them?!

 

He practically tossed his car with force into the next right-hander, as headlights still flashed persistently in his mirrors after he exited the corner.

 

He shifted into third gear and slammed the gas down to pull out of the corner as quickly as he could.

 

… was Todoroki Shouto really that strong…?!

 

He felt despair and anxiety pool up in his gut as they quickly reached another medium-speed right-handed corner.

 

He slammed his right foot down onto the brake pedal until he felt the tyres on the verge of lockup, before clutch-kicking with his left foot and heel-and-toe downshifting into second as the engine roared out loud around 7700 RPM like it always did.

 

He felt the car’s weight shift as he drifted into the corner in the fastest way he knew after driving this road for five years, and stabilised his car once again after dashing out the corner.

 

He drove like he always did- no,  _ faster  _ than he always did, but...

 

… the headlights of the FC was still right there!

 

And its pressure was tremendous.

 

Can he really beat… Todoroki Shouto…?

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


‘Amazing…!’ thought the male in the Mazda as he followed the exact path of the Trueno into the right-handed hairpin corner. ‘If I was driving alone… I wouldn’t have been able to drive like this…!’

 

He floored the accelerator as he watched the Eight-Six ahead reverse-drift way ahead of the next hairpin-left with its throttle wide open.

 

He followed, and swung his car for the left.

 

‘His speed on the straights is like a novice; but that's to be expected with the power…’ Shouto was mesmerised, as his hands and feet went on complete autopilot on their task to copy the movements of the ghostly-fast Toyota AE86. ‘But the way he takes corners is more than advanced!’

 

He straightened up his car as he floored the gas out of the corner, allowing his rotary 13B to croon up to 8000 RPM before shifting into third.

 

‘To be the ultimate fastest, is in the third point, which I’ve been looking for a place to perfect my theories… and the perfected form has been right in front of me the whole time…!’

 

A smile was etched onto his face without him even realising it.

 

‘The way he positions the car, the angles he drifts into corners…’ excitement bubbled within him happily as he watched and copied. ‘I would’ve been left behind if not for copying his movements…’

 

He was in perfect sync with the Trueno now; being pulled along by the steady rhythm of the leading car as if they were in a rollercoaster ride with a perfect set path down Haruna.

 

‘Strange; that I’ve finally found it here in such a place after looking for so long. Show me everything, Eight-Six!’

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“This is the straightaway leading to the observatory! The time is incredible!” a RedSuns member reported into the walkie. “At this pace; they’ll beat the course record set previously by four to five seconds!”

 

Katsuki stared at the walkie-talkie in his hand after the transmission was received.

 

“Four to five seconds…” mumbled the blond before a smirk fought its way onto his face while staring at the road where the two cars had been minutes ago. “You’re getting half-and-half to finally show his true colours huh, Deku…?”

 

“I never seen you be so supportive to anyone before.” teased Kirishima Eijirou who stood by him with a certain yellow-haired boy. “He’s something special to you, huh?”

 

“Shut up, shitty hair.”

 

“Well, in any case; he’s doing better than I expected.” stated the number-three honestly.

 

“This is only the beginning.” said the driver of the yellow FD. “That half-and-half bastard will have something up his sleeves.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The headlights of the Eight-Six revealed to him the left-handed, complex corner at the observatory; a high-to-mid speed corner.

 

He took his right foot off the gas pedal to slam on the brakes, decelerating from speeds of 160 km/h as he downshifted with throttle blipping from fifth, into fourth, and finally into third, while steering into the corner at the final downshift.

 

The FC was still behind him even after how late he braked.

 

His car drifted perfectly as he knew it would into the first half of the corner, starting off wide before he clutch-kicked and downshifted into second for the tighter part of the corner; causing his rear tyres to spin and increase his drift angle while he slammed his right foot on the accelerator once more.

 

The inner front tyre nearly dropped into the gutter with how close he got to the edge of the road.

 

“That’s an amazing drift!”

 

“This corner is hard to clear at full speed, but they sliced right through!”

 

At nearly no countersteer, the previous move was suicidal if you had no absolute confidence in your control of the car.

 

But the FC was still right there, taunting him with the sound of its high-revving turbocharged 13B - even though he was pushing the Trueno as hard as he can down the road he knew like the back of his hands.

 

Fog clouded his mind as he now drove absentmindedly on autopilot down the twisting medium-speed section that followed right after.

 

That sound of that rotary engine right behind him… it was intimidating…

 

Perhaps he was really not able to win, after all…

 

He cleared another corner, and another, and another, and another…

 

And soon, they’ve cleared the right-hairpin that took them down the high-speed section of Haruna, and the two cars tore through the night air.

 

… no, there's still a move left he hasn’t used!

 

The next hairpin left would be perfect for it!

 

He braked for the corner, cutting some speed and steered all the way to the left - while his car threatened to drift - to drop his inner tyres into drainage ditch at a speed that tested the accuracy of his aim.

 

‘THUMP!’

 

The 4-AGE engine roared as he punched the throttle.

 

Todoroki Shouto’s heterochromatic eyes widened as he realised the ace of spades the Eight-Six held was finally played, and he followed right after, sending his left-side tyres down into the drain.

 

‘THUMP!’

 

He felt the strange sensation of being pulled into and supported by the corner as his front bumper nearly touched the car ahead with a gap less than five inches to spare.

 

If not for his older model of RX-7, he would not have the ground clearance to copy the ditch-driving technique executed by the old Toyota.

 

“That’s fast!”

 

“What did they do?! How did they turn?!”

 

They came blindingly fast out of the corner, and immediately charged down the section right before the famous five consecutive hairpins of the course.

 

“Reporting from before the five hairpins!” a RedSuns member checked in after checking his stopwatch with wide eyes. “At this pace, they’ll break the record by seven to eight seconds, over!”

 

“... what exactly is going on out there…?” wondered Kaminari Denki as Eijirou just stared blankly at the walkie-talkie.

 

Bakugou Katsuki only frowned a little deeper after hearing the report.

 

This race was getting… dangerous.

 

Meanwhile, Midoriya Izuku had lost all hope after he realised that the car behind him was faster than him; but he still drove at maximum speed the way he knew how because it was the only thing he could do now.

 

The speed-warning chime of his AE86 began to play as the speedometer climbed above 100 km/h, while the distance between their two cars hadn’t widened at all.

 

In fact, he could feel the white FC3S creeping right up on him; even though he had been driving at his very best.

  
He was going to  _ lose _ .

* * *

 


	18. Overtaking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two racers swap positions during the race.

* * *

Todoroki Shouto watched as the Eight-Six ahead of him dove into the first hairpin corner out of five at an obvious overspeed.

 

He wasn’t even positioned in the line to take the ditch.

 

Trusting his own instincts, he braked and finally let the Trueno free from his vice grip, as it charged ahead further.

 

… and the Toyota’s brake lights came on a second after his - too late - as its front tyres spun uselessly into the corner as the driver tried to sent went to the front.

 

“Damn…!” cursed Izuku under his breath as he fought the steering wheel of the car with great difficulty. “Turn!”

 

He let go of the gas as he tried to turn the car that came without power-steering while understeering.

 

He pulled the handbrake a little in hopes of spinning the car in the right direction before releasing it.

 

‘VRRRRRRRH!’

 

The FC!

 

The white Mazda appeared in the corner of his eyes at the driver-side window, and he watched as the opponent drifted his car gracefully through the hairpin and overtaking him in an instant.

 

Crap.

 

‘How reckless.’ thought the Mazda driver. ‘He could have recovered with power-over if he had a high-power car, but to try that in his Eight-Six…’

 

‘I wasn’t planning on overtaking so soon…’ he shifted his FC into third gear. ‘But now that I’m ahead, I cannot afford to be caught!’

 

As soon as the tyres scraped off enough speed and he regained control, Izuku stepped on the gas to catch up to the car a second ahead of him.

 

Not good.

 

He shifted up into third gear after his engine hit 7800 RPM.

 

The FC was pulling away.

  


* * *

 

  


“SHOUTO-SAN’S IN THE LEAD!” exclaimed a voice from walkie-talkie. “The Eight-Six understeered in the first hairpin at the five consecutive hairpins, and Shouto immediately took him!”

 

Bakugou Katsuki held his breath with tension as he tried to make sense of what happened down in the mountain roads.

 

That Deku… understeered his fucking car?

 

What. An. IDIOT!

 

FUCK!

 

He glared at the road leading downhill as if it offended his very being.

 

“And the checkpoint time! At this pace, Shouto will break the record by 10 seconds! 10 seconds - over!”

 

10 seconds… and half-and-half’s in the lead, probably trying to pull away...

 

Did that Deku even stand a chance now…?!

 

His fists clenched.

  


* * *

 

  


Izuku tapped on the brakes harshly and downshifted into second with a clutch-kick. His AE86 reacted immediately and dove into a drift into the hairpin-left from the imbalance of stability as he stepped hard down on the right-most pedal.

 

His tyres screamed as the engine pushed the car forward mid-drift.

 

The red lights were still there; in front of him - the taillights of the FC3S.

 

It meant that they were still neck-and-neck, with neither car being faster than the other.

 

… if he drove faster now… he might still have a chance!

 

The Eight-Six roared out loud with renewed confidence.

 

‘What a strange boy…’ thought the driver of the Crystal White FC as he took a glance at the headlights in his mirrors. ‘Making a mistake like that… he’s still not mentally strong enough for high-speed races…’

 

He braked for the third hairpin corner, downshifted and steered his car to drift into the right-hander.

 

‘The front tyres are wearing down…’ he noticed as his FC didn’t quite turn the way he wanted to, so he steered a little further into the corner to compensate. ‘Copying the Eight-Six’s lines wore them down quicker than I expected...’

 

Shouto exited the corner a little wide as he stepped down on the accelerator.

 

‘It went a little differently from my simulations…’ he geared up. ‘But I will still win!’

 

When Izuku made the mistake of a rookie by succumbing to pressure from the chasing driver; he broke free from the control that Todoroki Shouto had over him as soon as he was passed.

 

Now, Midoriya Izuku can truly drive his Eight-Six in his own way again!

 

Shifting down into second gear and punching the gas while executing a perfect zero-countersteer drift, he dived into the corner and chased after the FC.

 

It was getting closer with every move he made - he was slowly reeling in the speeding RX-7 in front of him.

 

The red lights had gotten closer, he was catching up!

 

He straightened up as his car exited the corner while flooring the gas pedal harder than he ever did in his life while his body fought against the forces acting on it as he went downhill chasing after the RX-7 now less than a second ahead.

 

Be it a meter or two, he will catch up to that white FC ahead of him!

  


* * *

 

  


From their position up on a hillside, they watched as the white RX-7 drifted past, followed by a panda Trueno nearly a second later with a strong 4-cylinder tune.

 

“These guys…” smirked the girl. “They’re stronger than the rumours say; they’re top-class racers.”

 

“So… Mina.” Kyouka called out after the two cars were gone from their view. “This race… is Todoroki Shouto going to win it?”

 

“Maybe.” came the nonchalant response as the girl turned to look at her best friend. “But the lines that Eight-Six takes is slightly better than the FC; and the driver hasn’t gave up yet.”

 

“So, you’re saying…”

 

“That Eight-Six hasn’t lost yet.” declared Ashido Mina. “But in any case - on Usui, no one could be faster than us!”

  


* * *

 

  


‘The Eight-Six is catching up…!’ Todoroki Shouto observed as the headlights grew bigger right before the last hairpin of the course. ‘Doesn’t he have issues with his tyres?’

 

The Trueno roared out loud as it was sent into the hairpin-right at full throttle in second gear - its tyres still having some life left on them as the car charged out of the corner despite the abuse Izuku put them through.

 

The AE86 still had a fight left in it!

 

Todoroki Shouto’s fatal mistake was to completely copy the way the lighter AE86 drove down Haruna, causing his heavier RX-7 to have to handle more tyre stress than needed!

 

But with the Sprinter Trueno only being around 200 KGs lighter, its advantage was shortlived - but if Izuku can capitalise on it, he would catch up and perhaps win…!

 

The FC was a car hood’s length away now, and both cars accelerated down the final straight of the course before the leading car began braking for the long medium-speed right.

 

The Mazda had to cut down more speed due to the overheating tyres as it began drifting at a wider angle into the corner.

 

With the way Izuku drove the Toyota, he was able to keep a constant speed through corners, and drifted the Eight-Six easily using only the brakes. He was able to fully utilise the grip in all four tyres as he dove into the corner with a second of braking, sending the nose diving into the corner as he floored the accelerator.

 

The AE86 was being controlled as if it was a part of his body.

 

His inner-front tyres nearly dropped into the drainage as it skimmed past them by mere millimetres, then the car began to go wide for the exit.

 

He felt the Eight-Six reel the leading white RX-7 closer to it, as its headlights began to be plastered onto the back of the Mazda.

 

The old Toyota nearly grazed the guardrails as it throttled out of the corner while still gaining on the FC, centimetre by centimetre.

 

‘Just one more corner…!’

  


* * *

 

  


“They’re getting close.” noticed Fumikage.

 

From their position, they could hear the faint echoes of tyre squeals and engine revving.

 

“There!”

 

The road they were observing suddenly lit up brighter, and the RX-7 and Trueno appeared in a flash out of the corner.

 

‘VRRRRRH!’

 

“The FC is leading!” Fumikage stepped forward with excitement as the two cars had literally no gap between them. “But he’s faster out the corner!”

 

“So, how are you going to attack, Eight-Six?!” shouted Shihai towards the direction of the two racers. “INSIDE?!”

 

“OR OUTSIDE?!”

 

The two drivers defeated by the Eight-Six threw their support towards Izuku; as they were both drivers under the effect of the charisma of the old Trueno driven by the young boy.

 

As if hearing their question, the Sprinter Trueno roared as it shifted lanes to the outside to take the left-handed corner, moving next to the the FC and boxing the other driver into a single lane as he had the rest of the road to himself.

 

Todoroki Shouto frowned as the AE86 moved in to the right side of his car, leaving him with no other space to maneuver and forcing him to take the innermost lane as the corner quickly came up.

  


This was it!

 

Both drivers took their right foot off the accelerator and slammed it onto the brake pedal while downshifting at the exact same time, and their engines roared in unison as if performing a duet. Their cars slowed down for the corner as the drivers sent their cars charging into the corner.

 

The FC drifted into the corner with a higher angle due to its wearing tyres, while the Eight-Six clung onto its line firmly.

 

“The FC is getting ahead!” observed Shihai anxiously as the Mazda steadily pulled out in front of the Toyota.

 

“The inside is a definite advantage!”

 

In circuit racing, the inside was a defensive line and was able to prevent drivers from trying to overtake you; but it also sacrificed speed - but because the FC took the corner at the exact same speed as the Eight-Six…

 

“Wait-!”  
  


Unable to handle the momentum challenged and set by the Eight-Six, Shouto’s four tyres had begun to lose grip entirely as the Mazda took a way wider path and cut in front of the Trueno’s front bumper.

 

Izuku saw the new opening - now left wide open.

 

The accelerator was stepped down to 80% as he turned the steering wheel of the Eight-Six to move his car towards the inside of the corner before he floored the gas completely.

 

“That’s impossible!” Fumikage watched as the Eight-Six crossed the line of the FC, and took over its position on the inside of the corner and rapidly closing up the gap-

 

The Trueno retook the lead.

 

Todoroki Shouto stared in shock with his eyes wide open at the back of the white-and-black Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX now in front of him again after he ran away from it for so long.

 

The finish line was right after this turn.

 

There was no place left to attack, no where else to make a move.

 

He lost.

 

The sad howl of the Mazda’s rotary engine echoed throughout the valleys of Mount Haruna as he let go of the accelerator, mourning Todoroki Shouto’s first ever loss.

 

Haruna’s Eight-Six - Midoriya Izuku - had taken his throne of being the unbeatable legend.

 

Midoriya Izuku and his Eight-Six had won.

  


* * *

 

  


The victory of Haruna’s Eight-Six was announced through the walkie-talkies; but no one cheered, no one celebrated.

 

No one uttered a single word - not even Bakugou Katsuki; who immediately left after the results were out.

 

The atmosphere in the night air of Mount Haruna was heavily, dense and thick.

 

Nobody knew what happened down the hills of Haruna; and how exactly the FC3S with nearly two seconds of lead got overtaken by the AE86 before the goal with a new course record 12 seconds faster than the previous one.

 

The crowds dispersed slowly with engine sounds filling up the air of Haruna, before fading away into silence.

 

The performance venue of Haruna slowly cleared up; with the audience going home as if they watched a show that was too advanced for their understanding.

 

The legendary race that Saturday night will be passed on for centuries.

  
The clear reality was - made known to everyone was: on Mount Haruna’s downhill; not even Todoroki Shouto could beat Midoriya Izuku in his Eight-Six Trueno.

 

The fastest downhiller in Gunma, was the driver of a tofu-shop Eight-Six.

 

Midoriya Izuku.

* * *

 


	19. Go Beyond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was time for Izuku to leave the comfort of his home.

* * *

Two white sports cars from different Japanese manufacturers parked at the side of the road at an entrance to Mount Haruna.

 

The Crystal White Mazda Savanna RX-7 Infini III was stopped behind the High-Tech Two-Tone Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX.

 

Midoriya Izuku stared apprehensively at the calm-faced male standing in front of him, before looking at the wankel-powered car he drove.

 

“Um…”

 

Shouto looked from the rear of the AE86 to the green-haired boy as he looked like he wanted to say something.

 

“Were you holding back?” asked Midoriya Izuku as he fiddled with his hands nervously. “Right before the goal?”

 

“No.” smiled Shouto. “You just drove faster.”

 

“...”

 

“My tyres were also starting to wear out, but that’s an excuse.” stated the red-and-white haired male, causing the boy to check out the tyres of both cars. “Did you think I slowed down for you?”

 

“Well… it's just that…” Izuku hesitated for a little. “I don’t think I’m faster than you.”

 

Hearing that, Todoroki Shouto let out a genuine chuckle of amusement.

 

“You’re really an interesting person.” he responded honestly. “Midoriya Izuku. You’re fast.”

 

He stared with wide eyes at the older, Mazda driver afterwards while a slight blush unknown to him fought its way onto his freckled face.

 

Was he really fast?

 

“But don’t be satisfied with just racing on Haruna.” smiled Todoroki Shouto before opening the driver’s door of his FC3S. “There’s a bigger world out there. Go beyond just racing on Haruna.”

 

The driver’s door of the white Mazda slammed shut after he got in, and the red-and-white haired male started up his car as the headlights flipped open and turned on.

 

Izuku watched; standing next to his Trueno as the other’s car drove far away with a low, elegant rumble.

 

‘Go beyond…’

 

…

 

Can he really race as well on other mountains…?

 

An unexpected roar from another 13B engine snapped Midoriya Izuku out of his trance - who had been unknowingly staring at the stars for a minute or two.

 

A yellow FD…

 

He was just lost in a blank state of mind until the RX-7 snapped him out of it.

 

“Kacchan…?” he wondered, as the newer RX-7 came to a stop behind his Trueno, the same way Shouto did minutes before.

 

“Deku.” Katsuki had a strangely calm expression on his face after he stepped out of the car.

 

“... that was fast, Kacchan.” commented the childhood friend.

 

“Tch.” the blond-haired male rolled his eyes, before staring directly at Izuku in his large green eyes. “So you won, huh.”

 

“... I guess.” came the response. “I don’t really feel like it, though.”

 

“... fuck you mean?” frowned Katsuki, accenting his red eyes. “You clearly beat the half-and-half bastard while he was giving his all.”

 

And that was achievement in itself because that Todoroki Shouto never ever raced with his true abilities and showed his true flames.

 

“... because we raced on Haruna.” stated the green-haired male dejectedly. “If it was anywhere else, I would’ve lost.”

 

“Tch. A win’s a win; shitty Deku.” countered the blond. “If it really bothers you that fucking much, go race somewhere else then.”

 

Suddenly, tyre squeals could be heard from a distance, also a familiar sound of a SR20DET engine used in S13 models, as the headlights belonging to the car lit up the roads.

 

After the sounds signalling its arrival; a Sileighty passed by them in a flash and left with a hiss of the wastegate after a spooling turbo.

 

“... maybe them.” stated Katsuki as he watched the blue Nissan leave. “They’re from Usui.”

 

“...”

 

“If you’re interested…” the driver’s door of the FD3S was opened. “Ask shitty-hair to arrange the race.”

 

Izuku stared as the other RX-7 of team RedSuns left the grounds of Haruna.

 

‘So, Usui…’

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The next day, it seemed that the race that happened on Haruna the previous night was all but a dream; as everyone went on with their lives as if nothing happened, with the only difference being the scenes of the FC and Eight-Six drifting closely together at full speed in the night replaying in their minds.

 

“Todoroki Shouto was a formidable opponent.” stated Aizawa Shouta, joining in the conversation that two of his colleagues created. “Izuku is already fast, but it takes a special driver to push him to go faster.”

 

“Yeah.” agreed Eijirou. “I got some friends that went to watch the race, they said the Eight-Six was impressive with the way it four-wheel drifted through a high-speed corner at over 100 km/h.”

 

“Man, that sounds insane.” commented Denki. “I wished we went further down the hill to watch the race now…”

 

“Regardless…” smiled the red-haired male. “Izuku and his Eight-Six is now the fastest downhiller in all of Gunma.”

 

“It’ll make him a target for more experienced racers.” drawled the manager. “Izuku hasn’t raced for long enough to train his mind for pressure.”

 

“That comes a question we’ve been wondering.” Denki brought up a new topic. “Can Izuku drive as fast as he does on Haruna on other mountains?”

 

“What do you think, Aizawa-san?” agreed Kirishima Eijirou.

 

“That’s for you to find out.” answered Shouta as he noticed a certain green-haired boy walking up towards them.

 

Izuku stopped before the red-haired senior.

 

“Kirishima-senpai…”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Katsuki told you?” came the question from Kirishima Eijirou the next day at work. “Actually; the Sileighty pair are friends we knew back in high school.”

 

“Wait, a pair…?”

 

“Two girls - their names are Ashido Mina, and Jirou Kyouka.” stated the red-haired male. “Kyouka drives, and Mina navigates; kinda like a co-driver in rallies.”

 

“I see…”

 

“Anyway, if you’re really interested,” he smiled brightly at the younger male. “I can totally arrange a race for you; since they’re interested in racing you too.”

 

“R-really?” blushed Izuku.

 

“Yeah, they saw the way you drove yesterday against Shouto.” shared Eijirou. “... so, where do you want to race them?”

 

“Usui.” the older boy looked visibly surprised.

 

“You sure?”

 

“Yes.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Midoriya Izuku woke up at 04:00 on the dot as usual - his digital alarm waking him up with relentless sawtooth-waveform beeps.

 

“Oh Izuku,” acknowledged his mother after he made his way downstairs. “I loaded up the car already; here.”

 

He stared at the plastic cup filled nearly an inch to the brim.

 

“Isn’t this… more than usual?” pondered the child of Inko.

 

“The hotel ordered a larger badge today.” said the mother as Izuku took the water cup and headed outside for the idling Eight-Six. “So be extra careful today.”

 

“Mm…” responded the younger Midoriya as he gotten into the driver’s seat, before he became more alert as he remembered something. “Oh.”

 

He turned his head to look at his mother while rolling down the window.

 

“I need the car this Saturday night.” stated the boy.

 

“... what car is it, this time?”

 

Izuku’s eyes opened wide in surprise.

 

“... what?”

 

“I saw you racing against the FC.” his mother said with a neutral, calm look. “I know about you racing.”

 

“You’re not… against it…?”

 

“... just be careful.” Inko said with a worried expression. “You can use the car.”

 

“... mom…” happy tears began to threaten to spill from his eyes.

 

“I understand, Izuku.” smiled Midoriya Inko. “Now go deliver the tofu.”

 

“Thanks, mom.”

 

The Eight-Six drove off after engaging first gear.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


She had been lazing around at home, listening to rock music playing from her MP3-player before a call interrupted.

 

“Kyouka.” called out Ashido Mina through her phone after the other had picked up. “It’s on, this Saturday on Usui at 10 P.M.”

 

She had been waiting for this call ever since Kirishima Eijirou called them yesterday night to meet them regarding Haruna’s Eight-Six.

 

“I see.” answered the girl while she sat on the couch in her small apartment. “Are we still practicing tonight, then?”

 

“Yeah, obviously.” came the response as she heard an engine start up in the background. “I’m coming to pick you up, I just left from Family’s Cafe in Shibukawa.”

 

“That’s kinda far.” complained Kyouka. “Why are you there?”

 

“Eijirou set up the race for us; that’s why. Against Haruna’s Eight-Six.”

 

“Oh...”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Hey Izuku!” called out Kaminari Denki after the Midoriya reported for work that Thursday. “ Eijirou said you’re gonna race in Usui?!”

 

“... yeah.”

 

“Dude~!” he dragged out the word before patting him on the shoulder. “You’re becoming more and more like a racer!

 

“I-”

 

“Anyway,” Denki interrupted whatever Izuku was going to say due to his excitement. “Eijirou suggested we go for a drive in Usui tonight!”

 

“... sure.”


	20. First Excursion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku makes the trip to Usui.

* * *

Usui was different.

 

Obviously.

 

Although he wasn’t in his Eight-Six or driving, he could feel the terrors of this particular pass from the passenger seat of Denki’s S13 as they followed the RedSuns’s red S14 - which can only be seen by their headlights and the occasional streetlamp.

 

Every single grain of asphalt was felt through the seat and floor of the car - and every bit of unevenness in the road; though it wasn’t too bad.

 

The road was completely dark - but Izuku was used to driving in the darkness; so it didn’t bother him that much.

 

But what had bothered him - although they were driving at an extremely comfortable pace for Denki - was the twisting roads.

 

There were more corners than he could ever count - and he had lost count after he reached 50; and this was the third time they drove through it.

 

How can anyone memorise this course?!

 

They were leaving now.

 

He definitely had to think of a strategy or plan of some kind… in order to stand a chance against the Sileighty this Saturday.

 

Which was in two days.

 

“You’ve gotten better.” observed Izuku as Denki followed a neat line through a right-handed corner behind the S14. “You definitely improved, Denki.”

 

“Really?!” a smile broke out onto the yellow-haired boy’s face while he kept focus on the road. “Man, that makes me really happy, Izuku! I’ve been practicing hard on Haruna, y’know!”

 

Izuku smiled back, before his mind went back to the matter at hand.

 

He doesn’t have time to practice this course - as his mother needed the car to get to a commerce meeting which was why he didn’t drive today - and tomorrow, too.

 

The leading S14 gently slowed down and crawled to a traffic’s pace at 30 km/h while sitting in the left lane; as Izuku’s eyes caught his friend turning the steering wheel right - he hadn’t heard the sound or noticed the road ahead getting brighter: the telltale sign of oncoming traffic in the night to experienced drivers.

 

“Don’t overtake.” said Izuku as tyre squeals grew closer. “A car is coming.”

 

So the yellow-haired boy pressed down on the brakes and gently slowed the car down while steering back into the left lane; before the sounds grew louder and the road became brighter.

 

In a flash, a set of headlights that belonged to a Silvia passed by with a drift - barely missing them - and disappeared within milliseconds, followed by the taillights of a 180SX Izuku seen in the rear-view mirror.

 

… that was fast!

 

Wait a minute; Silvia front, 180SX back…?!

 

… that was the Sileighty.

 

And the way the driver drifted the car, swinging left to right and freely changing directions in this twisting mountain pass and making it look easy… that was scarily impressive.

 

Is this going to be his first loss?

 

… right after beating Todoroki Shouto…?

 

Wait… Todoroki Shouto…

 

That gives him an idea.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


His shift was already over, and the gas station was going to close in an hour or two once it reaches 21:00.

 

But Izuku stared at the (unexpected) yellow FD with RedSuns stickers parked at the gas pump right in front of him dumbly, as the driver cut off the engine.

 

“Tch, are you gonna serve this fucking customer or what; shitty Deku!” yelled Katsuki from his seat with a rolled down electric window.

 

“M-my shift is over, Kacchan!” he answered, to which the blond grew annoyed.

 

“Tch! Whatever then, ask one of those fucking extras to fill up my car.”

 

And so, Kirishima Eijirou volunteered as both a RedSuns member and also someone that can handle the explosive personality of Bakugou Katsuki with a smile - and partly because he was a friend (the best friend, but Katsuki wouldn’t admit that fact).

 

Izuku stood and watched, even after the whole paying-after-filling-up procedure was completed.

 

“Get in the car, Deku.” he said after starting the engine.

 

“What?” came the confused tone of voice from the younger male. “Why?”

 

“Just get the fuck in or I’m gonna run you over!” shouted the blond as he revved his 13B engine to the redline threateningly, causing his car to shake as the engine throttled.

 

That caused Izuku to fumble for the small door handle on the passenger door of the sporty Mazda and get into the car; strapping himself into the Recaro bucket seats.

 

And so, with Midoriya Izuku in the passenger seat, they have driven for a while in Shibukawa; and Izuku recognised the particular route as the road that led towards Haruna Pass leading to Lake Haruna.

 

“Why are you here, Kacchan?” asked the boy.

 

“...”

 

No response.

 

So he watched as the grown-up version of his childhood friend worked the controls of his car and sent it racing up the hill of Haruna at dusk - at what was a comfortable pace for the blond.

 

The FD3S felt powerful with its 350 HP, and it was a refreshing change from his underpowered AE86.

 

Although it looked and felt fast; Izuku knew that this was nowhere near Katsuki’s limit from the relaxed face he wore while idly moving his limbs to drive - he was thinking of what to say while they climbed up the hill.

 

They made their way through a left-handed hairpin corner after a smooth tailslide.

 

“You’re gonna race in Usui, huh?” came the blond’s question as he steered a gentle right curve.

 

“Yeah…”

 

“Don’t lose.” Izuku watched the other male focus solely on the roads, as his left hand moved to change gears from second to third.

 

“...?”

 

“Because I’ll be the one to beat you.” he took his eyes off the road for a second to smirk at the green-haired boy - declaring a challenge and agreement. “So until then, don’t fucking lose, Deku.”

 

Izuku smiled with determination.

 

“Show me your driving then, Kacchan!”

 

The agreement was on.

 

“Tch, don’t tell me what to do.”

 

And Kacchan floored the gas.

 

When they turned around for the downhill run to send Izuku back home; the boy experienced the blond’s immense improvement firsthand as a passenger and a downhiller - if they had a rematch now; he wouldn’t be able to predict the outcome.

 

His yellow FD flew down Haruna, with the familiar roads being driven by someone else who took them (perhaps) as quickly as he did.

 

Kacchan now was amazing.

  
  


* * *

 

 

The Saturday came fast.

 

Eijirou and Denki watched the Eight-Six in front of them; while following in the red Nissan Silvia S14 down the highway in the dusk.

 

“Do you think Izuku can do it?” asked Denki worriedly. “He didn’t even get to drive the road for himself.”

 

“... I’m just curious if he can even drive at his usual standards on Usui.” answered Eijirou. “If he can at least keep up with them; it's good enough.”

 

“... that’s true…” agreed the yellow-haired boy. “But I don’t want to see him lose, either.”

 

“Who knows; he might have thought of something.”

 

Usui greeted the two guests as they drove up the hill, and soon the parked blue Sileighty on top of the hill greeted them too.

 

“We’ve been waiting.” drawled the curly-haired girl who was clearly bored. “You’re a little late.”

 

“Traffic.” grinned Kirishima Eijirou; answering for them. “You’re starting?”

 

“Yeah, but let me explain the rules.” Ashido Mina crossed her arms. “The race will start cat-and-mouse due to the construction at the starting line. Then, we swap positions every run. If the leading car pulls away; they win.

 

Any questions?”

 

No one answered.

 

“Good.” smirked the navigator before looking at the two boys stood next to Eijirou. “So… who’s driving the Eight-Six?”

 

“This guy; Midoriya Izuku.” Kirishima Eijirou pointed his thumb sideways towards the green-haired, freckled boy.

 

“What?!” exclaimed Mina, while Kyouka just stared in surprise. “He looks super young! How old are you?!”

 

“...18.” replied Izuku.

 

“18?! That’s… two years younger than us!” came another exclamation. “Still in high school and the driver of Haruna’s Eight-Six, huh…”

 

She looked at her driver - Kyouka; who was also surprised but was more subtle about it - before clearing her throat and turning back to face Izuku.

 

“Well, anyway. Since you’re the guest here; you can pick how you start: Do you want to lead or chase?” asked Ashido Mina.

 

“Um…” Midoriya Izuku thought for another second - weighing his considerations - before replying; “I’d like to chase.”

 

While Denki stared in shock with wide open eyes and a gaping mouth; Eijirou seemed impressed and had an amused look on his face as he caught on, being a RedSuns driver himself.

 

“Then let’s begin.” said Mina.

 

“Wait, wait a moment, Izuku.” Denki dragged the green-haired boy to one side, and Eijirou followed. “Why are you chasing?!”

 

“Well…” Izuku looked a little unsure. “I have an idea of some kind, after the race with Todoroki Shouto.”

 

“Are you… confident?” asked the yellow-haired boy.

 

“Not really…” answered the green-haired boy with honesty. “But it’s a good idea; trust me.”

 

“Believe him.” smiled Kirishima Eijirou.

 

“... I mean, it’s your race.” stated Denki, although still looking unsure. “Good luck, Izuku.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

And the two drivers started up their car for the race that night.

* * *

 


	21. The Terror Of Usui

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charging into a race without any course-knowledge was dangerous - and Izuku was plunged right into it.

* * *

Izuku followed the slow pace of the leading car into the first corner.

 

They said the race will start at the end of the first corner, and will go full speed immediately after.

 

And as expected; the Sileighty roared loudly as soon as the first corner was cleared and peeled out the corner with squealing tyres, as Izuku’s Eight-Six followed closely behind with a roar.

 

“Tch!” Izuku’s brain and body immediately filled with stress as he floored the gas after shifting into third gear.

 

He was a little slower - a  _ little _ , but slower regardless; and lost ground of 0.2 seconds of acceleration. The miniscule difference had caused the leading Nissan to pull ahead slightly, but he was able to catch them on the braking into the right-hander.

 

If the car ahead can turn the corner… all he had to do turn exactly like it! 

 

There was no reason that he won’t be able to; they’re both driving cars with four wheels, tyres, and both FR.

 

Izuku focused solely on the Sileighty in the lead and the way it moved, not even really paying attention to the road ahead, while listening for shifting points with his ears - as he heard this engine at full throttle for five years.

 

Bravely, he followed the Nissan closely, as they dove in right into the first corner, tyres squealing as the cars drifted through at speeds that challenged their tyres to the limit.

 

And the tail of the leading car was swung around, and he followed suit; letting go of the gas pedal and spinning his wheel to the left to change directions before slamming the accelerator again and countersteering.

 

He nearly missed the line the other car took - evident by the way his car exited the corner a centimetre closer to the guardrail protecting them from the cliff; if he lost focus for even a split second…

 

… what he would lose isn’t just the race.

 

This was dangerous…!

 

A part of him was telling him to let go of the accelerator, but he firmly, bravely stepped on the pedal as if having a death-wish, before his engine screamed for a new gear at 7800 RPM.

 

Third gear, accelerate.

 

‘Focus, Izuku!’ he told himself as the car in front led them into yet another corner.

 

Brake lights came on, and he moved his right foot onto the middle pedal and pressed down, before gently letting it go while attacking the fast right-hander corner with a braking-drift technique like the leading car.

 

The two cars began drifting slightly before the corner, before their front bumpers nearly scraped against the guardrails as they drifted through the turn.

 

He was keeping up so far; but just barely.

 

The Sileighty swung its tail quickly around for a harsher left-hander, so he fought the steering wheel to turn and downshifted into second for more wheelspin to spin the car while flooring the gas.

 

This wasn’t a race at all for him - it was more of a rollercoaster where the cart behind followed the cart in front on rails.

 

They exited the corner close to the guardrails once more, and he shifted up into third gear after redlining.

 

He wasn’t driving of his own will.

 

If the gap between their cars widened even just a little bit; he won’t be able to catch up as the opponent knew the roads better - he had to keep focus.

 

“He’s good.” Mina watched the headlights belonging to the opponent in the rear-view mirror. “No wonder people are talking about the Eight-Six from Haruna.”

 

“... we just started.” spoke the driver as she braked for another corner and downshifted with a perfect heel-and-toe into second gear.

 

The two cars gripped the roads while dashing through the gentle right turn, their fenders nearly losing paint because of the guardrails.

 

“He has yet to seen the terrors of Usui.” stated Jirou Kyouka as she floored the accelerator out of the corner. “If he can keep up with us until then… is another question.”

 

“Yeah.” agreed the co-driver as she kept her eyes on the road. “Left turn coming up! Drift through it!”

 

Engines roared out near redline as the drivers shifted down after a braking move and swung their cars from the right side of the road into the left-handed corner to maximise speed through the curve.

 

On the unknown roads of Usui, the most difficult thing right now for Izuku now was the judgement of entry speed into corners - which was exactly the reason why he had chosen to chase for this battle of skills.

 

The fact that Todoroki Shouto had done the exact same thing to him during their race on Haruna’s downhill cemented this idea into his brain; and he adapted the strategy for this race against the Sileighty - but even so; Midoriya Izuku was still an inexperienced racer up against a strong driver!

 

He followed the Nissan out of the corner with the throttle wide open.

 

“Shit!” Izuku as he realised his wide exit, his entire body tensed up in fear of a crash, as his Trueno rapidly moved closer to the mountain walls.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“The Eight-Six is racing in Usui?” Shouto turned his computer chair to face Katsuki - who was sitting on his bed - after typing in a laptop. “Interesting.”

 

“That shitty Deku said he didn’t feel like he won against you ‘cause it was on Haruna.” grumbled the Bakugou. “So he went to race the fucking Sileighty.”

 

“I heard of the Sileighty.” stated the older male, now resuming his typing. “But I can’t say I dislike Midoriya’s attitude - it will definitely help him to grow into a better driver.”

 

“So, you think he stands a chance against them?”

 

“Likely.” came the response. “If he’s smart enough to chase the local driver, instead of leading the race.”

 

“... then he can determine entry speed into corners?”

 

“Correct.” smiled the Todoroki. “By watching how a racer familiar with the track enters corners, you can accurately judge the correct entry speed into turns regardless of course knowledge.”

 

He typed for a few more seconds before hitting the enter key, and turned his swivel-chair to face the blond-haired male.

 

“It’s the strategy I use when racing against strong opponents.” shared the older male. “The leader will begin to feel pressure from the chasing car if they can drive at the same speed as you, creating an illusion that the chaser is faster. The leading car will eventually begin to make mistakes if they’re not trained for mind games.”

 

“Tch… I’ll keep that in mind for my next race.”

 

“Against Tokoyami on Myougi, uphill, right?”

 

“Yeah.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


He straightened up his steering wheel while doing a quick throttle on-and-off, playing with his accelerator before countersteering and pressing the right-most pedal fully down again to accelerate.

 

The Eight-Six missed the cliffside walls of the mountain by mere centimetres with his door completely parallel to the wall before he steered towards the outer edge to take the next corner, following the actions of the leading Sileighty.

 

The tyres were getting heated up and changed their behaviour slightly, and due to that tiny misjudgement, the Nissan inched ahead again!

  
His tyres were getting heated, but not overheated.

 

It was good - better now; and all he had to do now is adjust his driving to suit the new conditions!

 

He braked and steered into the corner as his car naturally drifted in as the car’s body lurched forwards from the braking force before flooring the accelerator.

 

Each line he took was microscopically different from the leading car; but the results varied from good to bad - as he caught up on some corners, while losing ground after some.

 

He understood that it was his car’s weight, tuning, and his father Hisashi’s training that was helping him through this mess, allowing him to stand a chance against the Usui’s fastest Sileighty.

 

He was keeping up, but he needs to race like himself; not just a mirror-image of the Sileighty ahead!

 

He realised that course knowledge was an important weapon in racing - but he still had a chance in this battle!

 

He shifted up into third gear after the engine hit 7800 RPM.

 

The Eight-Six’s headlights were still in her rear-view mirror, and the sound of the snarling 4-AGE was still behind her; no matter how hard she attacked the corners.

 

“Mina…” Kyouka called out. “The Eight-Six is still there…!”

 

“Don’t worry about him!” assured the pink-haired girl. “Just focus on your driving and you’ll be fine! Drift here!”

 

“But…!” she braked and downshifted before sending the car drifting into the right-hand bend. “He beat Todoroki-”

 

“We’re almost up to C-121 soon.” stated Mina while glancing at her partner after interrupting her thoughts. “If there’s anywhere we can attack, it’s there.”

 

“... oh!” she understood, before straightening up her car for the straight-line that she could draw through tiny, insignificant curves in the road. “I understand.”

 

C-121; or corner number 121 - is the most difficult corner in the entire Usui Pass on the downhill; as some locals might tell you.

 

The corner is the widest part of the entire mountain road, and is a high-speed, left-handed corner if you’re driving downhill. However; the difficult part was the exit of the corner; as the road narrows severely from three lanes into just fitting two cars side-by-side.

 

So, if you’re diving into the corner at full-speed - with the way this corner is shaped - there is only one single ideal line to take!

 

And the only car known to ever drive through it - drift; even - at full-speed, was Kyouka & Mina’s Sileighty - Impact Blue!

 

The Eight-Six’s headlights were shining onto the blue Sileighty, but neither person in the Nissan was worried as they soon approached the corner they’ve been waiting for; their headlights slowly illuminating the reflectors on the guardrails as they approached.

 

“Here we go, Kyouka!” cheered Ashido Mina. “Make it flashy!”

 

“Mm!”

 

“GO!”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The gay will come after Izuku grows as a racer, be patient uwu


	22. Losing Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Eight-Six tries its hardest to keep up pace with the fastest car of Usui.

* * *

Izuku heard the speed-warning chime go off for the first time on this twisting, winding road of Usui as he chased after the blue RPS13.

 

… they’re going over 100 km/h?!

 

He firmly stepped on the accelerator as he caught a glimpse of the road ahead - it looked to be a wide, left-handed corner.

 

He shifted up into fourth gear as they rapidly approached the high-speed turn before letting go of the accelerator for the middle pedal.

 

The Trueno’s brake lights came on half-a-second after the Sileighty’s - and both drivers made their engines sing high out as they downshifted into third gear and charged into the corner from an angle at a high speed.

 

Tyres screamed out at a high pitch as both cars went wide into the corner, the chasing car seemingly in perfect tandem with the leading car as if in a drift show.

 

‘You’ve got nerve!’ thought Ashido Mina who smirked at the AE86 right next to them while holding firmly onto the grab-handle to steady herself. ‘Taking this corner at the same speed as Kyouka…!’

 

All eight tyres eventually scraped off excess speed from the two cars and the drivers aimed their still-drifting cars for the apex after dashing through the halfway point of the corner.

 

The speed-warning chime had stopped, and he clutch-kicked to downshift into second gear after hearing the SR20DET in front roar out to the redline as both cars now skid through at almost 80 km/h.

 

While flooring the gas and turning the wheel, Izuku noticed that although he had followed the line of the Sileighty, his Trueno ended up further inside on the corner - and he continued on his own line instead of following the other car.

 

Because he saw the exit of this turn when their headlights flashed at it!

 

The two cars flew out of the corner - and-

 

‘... what?!’ Ashido Mina couldn’t believe what she just saw in the mirror as the chasing square-shaped headlights grew bigger.

 

The Eight-Six just cut through some bushes right on the inner edge of the exit as he straightened up his car?!

 

Even Kyouka… she had missed the clipping point by around five centimetres… but that Eight-Six…?!

 

That AE86 had clipped it right-on, and caught them right up.

 

This… can’t be happening…!

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The two friends of Midoriya Izuku sat on the hood of the parked red Nissan Silvia S14.

 

“I wanted to ask, Eiji.” Denki leaned on the shoulder of the muscular male.

 

“What is it?” he smiled, while gently caressing his boyfriend’s face.

 

“What exactly is a Sileighty?”

 

“Simple; a front-end conversion done to repair One-Eightys if they crashed the front, because parts for the Silvia are cheaper.”

 

Kaminari Denki sighed as he huddled closer to the other boy for more warmth.

 

“So… did they crash before?”

 

“Yeah, on C-121, nearly three years ago a little after when they first began racing.”

 

“... was it serious?”

 

“It was nothing serious, but the car suffered; so they replaced the front with Silvia parts.”

 

“Ah.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Midoriya Izuku stepped on the clutch pedal, shifted up into third gear, and pressed the accelerator down.

 

He caught up, somehow - he had improved while chasing the S13 recklessly.

 

And after that fast, sweeping corner just now; he realised that there was something wrong about his strategy-

 

He braked at almost the exact same time as the car ahead, and his tyres dealt with the resulting forces as he downshifted heel-and-toe and drifted into the right-hander right behind the Sileighty.

 

-His car was different from the Nissan - obviously; but he only realised the differences after C-121 when he was able to take a better line despite copying their moves.

 

The AE86 was lighter than the RPS13!

 

And his body had understood the differences despite the amount of time taken for him to realise the fact.

 

Not only that, he can look ahead of the leading car for a clearer idea of how corner looks before taking the guide of the Sileighty’s entrance speed to make a better decision!

 

He was feeling better the next time he pressed down the accelerator.

 

With his 4-AGEU engine singing to the pitch of 7800 RPM, he upshifted into fourth gear as he noticed that roads here were less twisty - a high-speed section in the geography of the mountain.

 

The tyres were gripping well.

 

He can finally race in his own way!

 

He followed the Sileighty ahead as they braked, and charged right into the gentle left-handed corner with a high-speed four-wheel drift at full throttle.

 

Meanwhile, the driver of the RPS13 had also realised something.

 

She had stopped looking into the rear-view mirror, and completely focused on the road ahead as if she was driving alone without the AE86 chasing behind her.

 

‘I’ve awaken.’ thought Kyouka as she braked and downshifted the car before gripping the right-handed corner right up to the guardrails. ‘If I keep looking behind, I’ll be distracted and can’t drive at my best!’

 

Suddenly, Mina caught a glimpse of headlights flashing through the foliage ahead.

 

“Traffic, Kyouka.” stated the navigator. “In three corners, get ready.”

 

“Got it.”

 

And she sent her car charging at full speed through the first corner. Then the second.

 

Then she drifted while hugging the inner, left-side lane with her front bumper nearly touching the wall as the two racers passed through traffic like flowing water.

 

‘Close!’ thought Izuku as he followed behind the Sileighty, narrowly missing a crash with traffic.

 

He straightened up his Toyota from the drift and stepped hard on the accelerator pedal after the corner.

 

A sigh of relief came out of him as he shifted up into third.

 

… they’re pulling away?!

 

He was going at his maximum speed, and she still managed to pull away… it could only mean…!

 

… this was getting dangerous!

 

‘You’re driving well, Kyouka.’ thought Mina as she noticed the way her partner operated the controls of the car, and sending the car into corners while her body fought against side-G forces she never experienced. ‘But maybe a little dangerous!’

 

Jirou Kyouka had fully utilised all grip on her tyres as she exited the previous corner, causing the Eight-Six to fall further behind by an inch.

 

On the public road, any experienced racer will leave a safety margin no matter how fast they seem to be going - but the Sileighty was using its tyres at 100%, leaving no room for error!

 

But, with the full usage of all the grip of her tyres, it meant that...

 

Izuku tried to follow the new pace set by the leading Nissan, but the more corners they passed, not even his lighter AE86 saved him as the leading car pulled away more and more.

 

Damn!

 

His own tyres were beginning to show signs of overheat, as they slowly began to lose grip as the temperature went above optimal.

 

But he had to catch that car no matter what!

 

He sent his car drifting into the left-handed corner at the same speed as the leading Sileighty and floored the gas, swallowing down his fears as his Trueno straightened up right next to the guardrail when they charged out of the corner.

 

Although he gained a little ground, this was way too dangerous - and also on a road that he wasn’t familiar with; the Sileighty ahead was still speeding…

 

He saw the road ahead clearly with the headlights reflected by reflectors on the guardrails - a sharp right-hander, mid-speed corner.

 

… wait…!

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“I’ve been thinking of forming a racing team.” stated Todoroki Shouto, facing the blond who sat on his bed after he shut down his laptop.

 

“You already have one, dipshit.” scowled Katsuki. “It’s called RedSuns, uses Akagi as its home-course; ring a bell?”

 

Shouto simply chuckled.

 

“Yes. But this racing team is for expeditions.” explained the older male. “I’ll pick two drivers I think are the fastest in Gunma; and travel to different mountain roads around Kantou to challenge the fastest local teams.”

 

“Who’re the drivers in your mind?” asked the younger foster-sibling with a neutral expression.

 

“You.” he stated neutrally. “And Midoriya Izuku.”

 

“Why?”

 

“You raced for a while now, and you usually take a night or two to learn courses - that’s a good start.” came the response with an absolutely serious set of heterochromatic eyes. “And now with news of Midoriya racing in other mountains, we’ll have to wait and see if he wins against the Sileighty; until then, he’s only a potential candidate.”

 

“... tch, okay.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The Sileighty was overspeeding!

 

The Toyota began to brake a second before the leading Nissan did, stopping the speeding-bell and creating a car’s length between them as the S13 began drifting into the right turn sharply.

 

He remembered this exact scenario during the race with the FC3S driven by Todoroki Shouto; with him overspeeding into a hairpin and understeering his AE86 - but this time; the Sileighty was doing it: but instead of understeering, the RPS13 was drifting into an oversteer into the right-handed corner!

 

“Too fast, Kyouka!” panicked Ashido Mina as she felt the tyres unable to cope with the high entrance speed a millisecond too late. “Not good!”

 

Realising her mistake, the driver had already turned the wheel to the extreme lock, but the car was still spinning clockwise to face the inside of the corner - they’ve done it now!

 

All because her partner didn’t have enough time to warn her about her reckless driving style.

 

No turning back.

 

“Try to spin the car away from him!” shouted Mina, and Kyouka turned the steering wheel the opposite way to steer the wheels right, as they began to face the front of the Trueno a few metres away and getting closer by the millisecond.

 

The headlights of the Toyota was blinding.

 

‘VVRRRRRRH!’

 

Midoriya Izuku downshifted with heel-and-toe into second gear, as he watched the Sileighty in front completely lose control and spin in the middle of the corner.

 

He cannot stop the car in time!

 

The next course of action he took was to steer his car into the right-hander as he felt his tail begin to slide out; as his foot remained gently pressed on the brake pedal - any harder, and the car would understeer.

 

The headlights of the leading car now faced him, and it was going to turn into a head-on collision...!

 

He needed space…!

 

THERE!

 

With just a single lane of space on the narrow road as his only route out of the crash; Izuku slammed his right foot down hard on the accelerator as the Sileighty veered outwards, opening up the right-side lane fully - the only chance he had.

 

Kyouka and Mina held their breaths and watched with wide open, shocked eyes at the other driver as the Eight-Six opened up the accelerator with a roar - WHAT?!

 

The engine of the AE86 screamed out loud at 7700 RPM as the rear bumper of the car barely skimmed past the passenger’s door of the blue Nissan and nearly knocking off the mirror while it drifted past through the narrow space.

 

Izuku’s Trueno started to spin after the maneuver made to avoid the crash; but he continued making his rear tyres spin by stepping on the accelerator to completely spin 180 degrees.

 

Both cars stalled as they came to a stop facing the way they came from.

 

The race was over in an instant.

 

Inside the Nissan Sileighty, both occupants of the car sighed in relief and relaxed into their Recaro bucket seats after they narrowly escaped from any mishaps.

 

“Wow…” breathed Kyouka. “That was…”

 

“Amazing, yeah.” agreed Mina. “We completely lost to that guy - avoiding us like it was nothing…”

 

Then, the navigator turned to look at her driver.

 

“So, how do you feel?” asked the pink-haired female.

 

“... refreshed.” came the response as Kyouka looked to be reflecting. “It was like when we first began racing… everything was exciting and new.”

 

The driver of the S13 turned to look at her partner in the eyes, looking as if tears are going to fall.

 

“That Eight-Six… makes me want to race.”

 

“...so, no more talks about quitting racing?”

 

“No more.”

* * *

 


	23. Eight-Six Effect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The feeling of passion for racing was given off, whenever that Eight-Six appears - it was almost magical.

* * *

A week had passed after Izuku’s race with the Sileighty, and the summer was nearly coming to an end.

 

Haruna’s Eight-Six had gained fame virally ever since its first official win against an FD3S, and had been etched into the minds of car enthusiasts all over Gunma, and was the main topic almost every time street-racing was brought up.

 

That summer; racers who had the fortune of being graced by the Eight-Six driven by Midoriya Izuku had had their passion for racing re-ignited: Tokoyami Fumikage, Kuroiro Shihai, Todoroki Shouto, Ashido Mina and Jirou Kyouka.

 

Only one person had had their stubborn pride damaged, and built it up back from scratch again with a new lease - Bakugou Katsuki; who now practiced almost obsessively on Mount Akagi after his loss to the Eight-Six.

 

The regulars of Akagi certainly knew, as two RedSuns cars drove down the mountain:

 

“Hey, its Bakugou Katsuki again!”

 

“With Kirishima? I thought that Bakugou’s gonna have a race against Tokoyami tomorrow?”

 

“Yeah, but he seems relaxed; hanging out driving around with Kirishima…”

 

The two mentioned cars - a red 1993 S14 Silvia and yellow 1992 FD RX-7 A-Spec, had already made their way down the steep hill of Akagi and came to a stop at the parking lot at the base of the mountain.

 

They left their engines running as they got out of their cars for a quick chat - and a smoke break for the blond.

 

“You’re seriously not gonna practice on Myougi?” asked the red-haired male as he stood next to a Katsuki smoking a cigarette. “Really? You only driven it like, four times.”

 

“Fuck no, I don’t need it.” came the grumble after the blond sighed out smoke. “I’m gonna wipe that fucker this Saturday; just you watch.”

 

“...okay, whatever you say then.” replied the RedSuns number-three. “I’ll be there to watch.”

 

“... bring Deku with you.” ordered the Mazda driver. “I’m gonna show him how fucking fast I am now.”

 

“Sure; if that’s your way of flirting with Izuku. Poor boy deserves better.”

 

“Fuck. You.”

 

“I’m being serious, Katsuki.” came the statement from Eijirou. “I never seen you so interested in anyone before.”

 

“...”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Here.” Uraraka Ochako was handed an envelope after she gotten into the black Mercedes-Benz.

 

“Thank you, papa.”

 

The E-Class had began driving out into the traffic as the female passenger buckled herself into the seat.

 

“Um, papa?”

 

“Yeah?” the car stopped for a red light, and the driver kept his foot on the brake to prevent the automatic car from moving forward.

 

“I think… I like a boy, papa.” came the confession to the older male in the car. “Is… is that okay with you?”

 

“Hmm…” the man tapped his steering wheel. “As long as you don’t forget to spend time with me, then it is fine.”

 

“... okay...”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The weekend came fast, and the mountain of Myougi was filled with people who wanted to watch the duel between both teams who lost against the Eight-Six to decide which one of them is really the faster team out of the two.

 

If the RedSuns loses this race, then Todoroki Shouto’s hard work of bringing up the team to being the best in Gunma would all be wasted.

 

But the NightKids had the pressure on them; being the local racing team that used Myougi as their home course.

 

“I hear rotaries!” shouted someone in the audience as sounds of engines grew louder.

 

“Its them! They’re here, the RedSuns!”

 

The lights shining on the road of Myougi grew bright, as the first car rounded the corner to reveal Bakugou Katsuki leading the RedSuns pack of cars; with Todoroki Shouto in second place, and Kirishima Eijirou back in third.

 

“GO, REDSUNS!”

 

The roads of Myougi began to get lively.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Meanwhile, a certain green-haired boy who had agreed to watch the race that night; was parked at the side of the road with his hazards on, and the interior lights of the Trueno switched on as he read the map.

 

‘Hmm…’ he tapped on his own lips as another finger pointed at the map on his lap, following a route. ‘Where do I go from here…?’

 

Because the boy had insisted to avoid toll roads, he had gotten lost.

 

“Oh!”

 

Nevermind, he just found a route.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“I’ve been waiting, Bakugou Katsuki.” spoke the leader of NightKids with his arms crossed, as the driver of the FD gotten out of the car. “Are you ready to lose?”

 

“Fuck off.” retorted the blond-haired male. “I’ll wipe the floor with you and your Three-Two, just fucking watch.”

 

Fumikage breathed out a huff through his nose.

 

“Well, let us head downhill to get to the starting point, shall we?” decided the driver of the Nissan GT-R.

 

“Tch, let’s go.”

 

Todoroki Shouto stared at the sky as the two drivers got into their cars to head downhill for the starting line of the uphill race that night, as a relatively strong gust of wind suddenly blew, ruffling his hair slightly.

 

‘...’ the FC driver frowned as he realised the weather pattern. ‘... it’s going to rain soon…’

 

“Oi, shitty-hair.” Katsuki called out from a rolled-down window before driving out onto the main road. “Where’s Deku?”

 

“He said he’ll come.” came the response. “Maybe he got stuck in traffic or something.”

 

“Tch, fucking... okay.” and the yellow efini RX-7 drove out to the road that took them downhill, followed by the black Nissan Skyline GT-R.

 

Speaking of Deku…

 

The green-haired boy finally found his way into the mountain, and was currently driving up the roads of Myougi at a slightly-higher-than-traffic’s pace - like he usually did when not racing; and he definitely didn’t feel like racing today.

 

“Hey, isn’t that…?”

 

“Haruna’s Eight-Six!”

 

“Why does it have some tofu-shop sticker on it?”

 

“Well… it says Midoriya, so it must be the correct one…”

 

“Oh man! I’d love to see him pull a drift!”

 

“Hell yeah! I’m feeling so hyped!”

 

Izuku still drove firmly at around 60 km/h in third gear (oblivious to the fans he had outside of the car as he drove by), keeping his engine close to 4000 RPM as he noticed two sets of headlights appear in front of him, out on the road ahead and approaching fast.

 

Did the race start already?

 

He glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard - 21:52 - no, he still had some time left, as the pack of cars prepared to pass by him.

 

A yellow FD?

 

And a black R32?

 

Oh - he realised; the two cars were headed downhill for the starting line - of course. Izuku had gotten so used to only racing downhill that he forgotten that you needed to get to the base of the mountain to race up to the peak.

 

Meanwhile, in a certain Competition Yellow Mica Mazda efini RX-7, the blond-haired driver smirked triumphly after he saw the Eight-Six; getting increasingly pumped up and energised as his car passed the Toyota.

 

Fucking Deku was here to watch him race!

 

A raging fire of burning passion to win the race burnt within him as he made his way to the foot of the mountain.

 

Nothing’s gonna stop him from winning now!

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Did you see it?” asked Kuroiro Shihai to his teammate in the Nissan through the rolled-down window - which was ready to go on the starting line next to the FD. “The Eight-Six.”

 

The Civic driver still had a cast on his right arm as it still hasn’t fully recovered after the crash on Haruna.

 

“Yeah, I saw him.” came the answer as a determined smile showed on his face while he gripped the wheel tighter. “That car has something mysterious to it - now that I saw him, I feel more energised than ever!”

 

“Just this time, I’m gonna be rooting for you and your GT-R.” grumbled the number-two of NightKids. “Because you’re racing for the team and I can’t do anything with my hand like this.”

 

Fumikage stared at the brown cast.

 

“I’ll win this one, for NightKids, and for our pride on our home course. At least we’ll have the uphill race in the bag.”

 

“Counting on you, Fumikage.”

 

And for the first time ever in NightKids history, the number-one and two had something they agreed on.

 

The battle of wills was on.

* * *

 


	24. Explosive Rotary Power!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bakugou Katsuki pits his car his new-and-improved driving against Myougi's fastest: Tokoyami Fumikage in his R32 GT-R!

* * *

“GO!”

 

Engines snarled out loud at one another, as they pushed the cars they belonged to forward at full power to ascend the steep slope of Myougi from the starting line.

 

The powerful, 380 HP GT-R with 4WD took the lead effortlessly, with the blazing FD3S a meter away from its rear bumper as they charged into the first corner.

 

Shouto - from the starting line - watched the yellow Mazda brake before sliding into the left turn smoothly - tail out with a minimal countersteer - with its rotary engine revving high at 7800 RPM; a little away from its limiter.

 

Then the two cars disappeared as they rounded into a right-hander and got obscured by a mountain wall.

 

‘Good.’ thought the red-and-white haired male with a smile. ‘Continue driving like that, and victory is in your hands, Katsuki.’

 

The greatest merit of the rotary engine was its low displacement - and the Mazda RX-7 is the car to successfully make use of such engines. The wankel is stable and opens up all intake valves fully at high revolutions, allowing Katsuki to drive his FD at its full power and maximum cornering ability!

 

‘As expected… the FD is fast in the corners!’ the leader of the NightKids slammed down his accelerator as he pulled his heavy GT-R out of the right-handed corner, increasing some distance between him and the yellow RX-7.

 

The blond shifted up into third as the needle hit 8000 RPM, and watched the way the leading Nissan drove.

 

Now that he was chasing; he could clearly see the improvements the other had made since his defeat racing against Deku - and he finally could relate to why Shouto loved chasing after opponents so much as a strategy.

 

He could read the leading car like an open fucking  _ book _ .

 

The Nissan - driven by Fumikage who usually  _ gripped  _ \- steered aggressively into corners, slightly four-wheel drifting into the turns before the ATTESA-ETS system kicks in to stabilise the car out of corners when the driver stepped on the gas.

 

It was abusive to its four tyres, but it's definitely quick!

 

The 4WD GT-R definitely had more advantages uphill - with its drivetrain system, powerful engine and last but not least, the ATTESA-ETS system which distributes power based on grip.

 

But although he was fast now, Tokoyami Fumikage still had a major weakness!

 

He smirked wildly as he braked and downshifted into second, making his engine scream at 7900 RPM before drifting into the left-handed corner immediately followed by a right - swinging his tail around for the next corner.

 

He shifted up into third again as his distance from the Three-Two was kept constant at around a meter from bumper to bumper while they exited the corners - he was keeping up at an average consistency with a smooth driving line.

 

On the uphill of Myougi, the harsh consequences of Tokoyami Fumikage’s driving style definitely going to show once they reach the end!

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Oh, Izuku!” smiled Kirishima Eijirou, waving his hand at the boy as he walked up to them, who stood at the last corner of the hillclimb - which incidentally, was a single downhill corner.

 

“What took you so long?” asked Kaminari Denki as their colleague finally stood next to them.

 

“I got lost.” blushed the undefeated downhiller of Gunma. “But I wasn’t late!”

 

Before they could continue their talking (or teasing), the walkie-talkie in Eijirou’s hand received a transmission as it played a split second of static.

 

“Tenya.” spoke the voice - Todoroki Shouto. “I need to you report the way Katsuki is driving from your location.”

 

“Understood.” spoke another voice - Iida Tenya. “They’re getting closer, I think they’re round the corner.”

 

The RedSuns member was stood at the mid-point of the race.

 

From where Tenya was stood, the two racing cars practically flew out the corner with a bang, tyres screaming as the cars accelerated through the short straight, shooting through the night air before diving into the right-hander with barely a second of braking with the FD following the Nissan closely with a wastegate hiss.

 

The RX-7 looked as if it was being driven with an elegant touch as the two cars disappeared, obscured by the mountain walls.

 

Tenya brought the walkie up and pressed the button to send a transmission.

 

“They just passed through.” spoke the RedSuns member. “The GT-R pulls away on the straights, but Katsuki catches him up on the corners.”

 

“I see.” replied Todoroki Shouto. “One more thing: how does Katsuki’s FD look compared to the GT-R?”

 

“Well… Katsuki looks smooth and controlled; while the GT-R looks wild, and quite aggressive.”

 

“I see.” Shouto smiled; feeling proud for his foster-brother. “Thank you.”

 

Bakugou Katsuki was in it to win!

 

With the way the blond drove, he averaged out his speed through the corners and drew smooth lines to allow his car to slide through turns at maximum speed without sacrificing the tyres; as the wheelspin of the rear wheels was kept constant with pedal-control of the accelerator.

 

Additionally, he was using drift instead of grip; saving his front tyres while using his rear-wheel-drive format to turn the car with the gas!

 

This style of driving had sacrificed a little speed against the more powerful and aggressive Skyline trying it’s best to pull away on the hillclimb of Myougi, but the result that come out of it will be very advantageous for Katsuki!

 

He had actually gotten this idea from another driver after a certain ride in Todoroki Shouto’s FC: the one who drove the Haruna’s Eight-Six that he called Deku.

 

… who just felt a single spot of sudden coolness land on his arm, and a few more.

 

“... rain?” Izuku reached out his hand and opened his palm facing upwards towards the sky.

 

And sure enough - he felt the little droplets of water touch his hand.

 

“Whoa, that’s not good…” stated Denki as the rain began to pour down. “I hope they don’t cancel the downhill race…”

 

“Downhill…” Izuku spoke softly as he noticed the downward slope from the second-last corner towards the finish line. “The last corner is a downhill; if you’re racing uphill.”

 

“Yeah, so?” asked Kaminari Denki, who wasn’t quite sure what his friend was mumbling about as the three people who stood there began to get soaked.

 

“The winner of this race,” he spoke in a firm voice. “will be decided by the tyres.”

 

“...?”

  
  


* * *

  
  


 

Fumikage noticed droplets of water form on his windscreen rapidly, as he continued driving his heavy, ton-and-a-half Nissan as fast as he could up the hill.

 

‘Not good…!’ he thought, as he switched on the wipers. ‘The road will get slippery!’

 

When rain starts to pour, it is the beginning that is the most dangerous - as dirt, oil and any debris on the road start to get washed up.

 

But despite this fact, the two drivers still drove their cars hard against each other, diving into the right-handed corner at full speed as tyre squeals sounded damper and muffled.

 

“Fuckin’ great…” gritted out Katsuki as he stabilised his drift from the right-hander before flooring the gas, keeping his revs high before shifting up into third gear. “Tch…!”

 

And with the short straightaway, his Mazda quickly climbed through the revs and edged towards the redline before the two cars reached the next corner - a mid-speed right-hander.

 

Using his brakes while downshifting with a clutch-kicked heel-and-toe, he cut off speed as he adjusted his driving minutely to start drifting earlier into turns to compensate for the loss of grip due to the rain; still chasing a meter away from the leading Skyline.

 

The GT-R with the 4WD drivetrain gained an even greater advantage with the rain, while the FR car struggled to find grip on the increasingly wet surface while on the twisting, turning roads of Myougi.

 

And as the rain got harder, it gets harder for the rear-wheel-drive FD to accelerate, making the RedSuns driver’s situation more dangerous than the NightKids driver’s!

 

Fumikage watched the RX-7’s lights, still the same distance away from him as it was two to three minutes ago.

 

Bakugou Katsuki still manages to keep up to the powerful Nissan in his FD!

 

As it rained for long enough, the oil, dirt and debris from the roads was finally washed away - allowing him another fighting chance!

 

The rotary engine sat happily at its high revs, while the driver had effectively kept speed smartly while saving his tyres.

 

Had he not been following a smooth line and preserving his tyres; this would have been impossible - his old self before losing to Deku probably would have made this very mistake.

 

The goal was getting near; and the race had gone exactly to plan so far, even with the unexpected rain!

 

Clutch-kicking with a heel-and-toe to downshift into second gear, he gently guided the car into the left-handed corner with the steering wheel and accelerator as the suspension of the car translated his inputs to the tyres to turn the body.

 

The twin-turbo 13B roared out loudly, and Tokoyami Fumikage suddenly felt a sense of pressure as the headlights in the mirror seemed to grow threatening, although it was still a meter behind!

 

The yellow Mazda gained on the exit of the corner, inching ahead and catching up to the Skyline!

 

“Aren’t you gonna try something, Bakugou Katsuki?” he spoke out his thoughts as he steered hard into the right-hander. “One more corner and you’re done!”

 

Oh  _ yes  _ he  _ was _ !

 

The fiery blond stepped down  _ hard  _ on the accelerator while exiting the right-handed corner, feeling a feral grin fight its way onto his face as he felt the tyres bite firmly onto the wet road as his engine worked near redline to close up the meter of gap quickly.

 

“Let’s fucking do this, FD!” he shouted out to his car while shifting into third, looking through his soaked windscreen which still hasn’t had its wipers turned on as he slid into the gap to the right of the GT-R.

 

“What?!” his eyes caught a speck of yellow next to him as he accelerated down the hill towards the last corner - a left-hander. “Tch! You won’t be able to turn at that speed!”

 

Izuku watched the Mazda pull up right next to the Nissan from the exit speed it managed to pull out with its tyres, and planted itself firmly by its side; matching the more powerful RB26DETT.

 

The two engines snarled ferociously as the two cars charged downhill towards the corner, exceeding speeds of 100 km/h as the drivers prepared for a full-on, full-braking battle.

 

“They’re coming in fast!” shouted Denki as the two cars approached the final corner at an incomprehensible speed through the rain.

 

Izuki stared in complete stun, as the two cars began to brake with their tyres squealing out as they struggled to find grip on the wet ground.

 

The RX-7 roared out as it downshifted as the blond steered left and felt his rear tyres slide out, and he stepped on the accelerator bravely while his car stuck to the line he drew out in his head.

 

The FD is telling him that they can win the race!

 

As the understeering GT-R took the inside, the two front bumpers nearly touched as the FD’s slightly-oversteering rear mounted its outer-rear tyre onto the sidewalk and negated the excess tail-slide of the car, while the driver stepped down fully on the gas out of the corner.

 

His rear tyre on the sidewalk gave him additional grip!

 

But he had to capitalise on this incredibly shortlived advantage - so he shifted up his high-revving engine into third gear earlier than the other and gassed down, and his FD responded by charging nearly half a hood’s length ahead of the other car as the rear tyre left the kerb and was back on asphalt.

 

The last short straightaway was left, and the two cars were next to each other, with the more powerful Skyline picking up speed once more and reeling in the RX-7 slowly!

 

Fourth gear; C’MON, FD!

 

‘...  _ amazing _ , Kacchan…!’ thought Izuku as the two cars reached for the goal almost side-by-side.

 

The Midoriya boy never felt such a  _ strong  _ desire to race before, and after seeing the move made by Bakugou Katsuki, he’s itching for one - he was itching to drive.

 

Shooting across the finish line, Bakugou Katsuki crossed it first with a new hillclimb course record.

* * *

 


	25. Downhill Rain Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the rain, the downhill race was cancelled. However, Kirishima Eijirou had a suggestion for Midoriya Izuku.

* * *

“Kacchan is  _ amazing _ … he can drive so  _ fast _ !”

 

Denki raised an eyebrow at the green-haired boy as the three friends walked back towards the large parking lot at the peak of the mountain.

 

“Then what does that make  _ you _ ?” asked the yellow-haired boy. “You beat him  _ twice _ , along with Tokoyami!”

 

“Kacchan is completely different now.” stated Izuku while looking toward the parked yellow FD a distance away. “He’s gotten better. A  _ lot _ better.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“You won’t live very long, Bakugou Katsuki.” stated Tokoyami Fumikage as he got out of his R32 Skyline GT-R to face the blond make who already got out of his car. “Not if you’re going to be driving like that all the time.”

 

Rain still poured to soak everyone with wetness.

 

“You’re lucky to take that corner at the speed you did in this rain.”

 

“Fuck are you on?” came the response from the FD driver. “If you meant the way I took that last corner, then think again, dipshit.”

 

Fumikage was taken aback - had he really missed a key point in the battle?

 

“You couldn’t have felt like you could take the last corner because you fucking abused your tyres all the way uphill,” the Bakugou male frowned at the driver of the GT-R. “because the last corner is a fucking downhill corner!”

 

Damn.

 

The blond was right (although vulgar), so he listened.

 

“If I had driven like you all the way before that last corner, I wouldn’t have been able to make the turn.” stated the fiery RedSuns driver. “That’s not fucking  _ luck _ ; that’s the difference between our  _ skills _ !”

 

The truth in that last sentence hit hard.

 

Tokoyami Fumikage had been so bent on outrunning the other that he had opted for an aggressive run that wore out his tyres and caused his own loss.

 

He remembered the way his GT-R understeered and nearly bumped into the other car during the last corner.

 

Maybe he hasn’t improved so much, after all…

 

Or had Bakugou Katsuki really improved that much within these past months?

 

Only the rain answered his thoughts.

 

“So, the downhill race.” spoke the blond once more. “Is there gonna be a race in the rain?”

 

“... our driver for the downhill is down for the count.” replied the NightKids leader. “And because it’s raining hard, so we’ll have to cancel it for safety.”

 

“Tch, okay. I’ll tell half-and-half.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


However, minutes later, the spectators still waited for the downhill race to start, and the two teams were unsure of what to do in the situation.

 

“Hey Izuku, how about a race down Myougi?” asked Kirishima Eijirou after they gotten to the parking lot. “I heard the downhill race is cancelled, so we can use the roads. Think of it as a fan service for people who love the Haruna’s Eight-Six!”

 

“Sure! Why not?” the boy was raring to go. “But what about Denki?”

 

“He said he forgot to buy groceries.”

 

The older male then pointed at the Citrus Yellow S13 driving out onto the main road and down the mountain, before using his eyes to search for something else.

 

“Hey Katsuki!” he called out loudly to the blond, who looked at the red-haired male who called for attention. “I’m gonna race Izuku! Count us off!”

 

“Tch, do what you want, shitty-hair!” came the shout from the distance.

 

Meanwhile, some audience members who overheard the (loud) conversation grew excited.

 

“There's a downhill race?”

 

“Haruna’s Eight-Six is racing?!”

 

“Wait, that kid’s the driver?! He looks like he just got his license!”

 

“I’ll drive down the hill and tell people about the race!” an audience member got into his white zenki 180SX and began driving out onto the main road at a traffic pace with its windows rolled down.

 

“Don’t leave! There's still a race!” shouted the driver from the broadcast car. “The racers will be RedSuns’s S14, and Haruna’s Eight-Six!”

 

A minute or two later, enthusiasm on the mountain recharged to a new high as the crowds of gallery that night braved the cold, chilly rain to watch the Haruna’s Eight-Six race the Red Riot of RedSuns.

 

In the rain, it was going to be a hell of a race to watch!

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


A gust of wind blew as a slightly drenched Bakugou Katsuki stood in front of the two cars on the starting line; both familiar to him, and he stared at the driver of the Eight-Six through the windscreen as it pulled to a stop on the starting line.

 

He already knew Eijirou was good, but was curious how Deku drove in the rain - so part of him also wanted to see him race.

 

He raised his hand up.

 

“IN 5!” and two sets of N/A, inline-4 engines began to rev out loudly, flexing their rev range.

 

“4!”

 

“3!”

 

“2!”

 

“1!”

 

“GO!”

 

Muffled sounds of tyre spinning on the wet ground was heard as the two cars kicked up water with their driving wheels as they set off and dashed past the blond.

 

The red Q’s S14 pulled out ahead easily of the panda AE86, and Katsuki smirked as they turned the first corner while shifting into third.

 

He saw the way the Trueno’s balance remained undisturbed shifting gears while depressing the clutch.

 

Yeah. Deku’s got this.

 

The underpowered, 1.6-litre 150 HP Toyota struggled to pick up speed up the hill as the more powerful 2.0-litre S14 was already metres away and turning into the second, sharp left corner.

 

Oh well - that’s to be expected.

 

Four seconds later, he drifted into the sharp left-hander without braking, and felt a thrill as the road curved downwards for the proper descend.

 

The real downhill has begun!

 

And Midoriya Izuku felt his need for speed satisfied as he floored the gas out of the turn while stabilising his car while his engine climbed the revs up to 7700 RPM before letting off the gas to shift into third gear.

 

He’ll catch Kirishima-senpai - although he was lengths ahead - no problem!

 

Then he sent his car drifting through the next gentle, right corner at a high speed before swinging his car around for the left-hander that followed.

 

“WOAH!”

 

“WATCH OUT!”

 

“How is he drifting like that in the rain?!”

 

And the Eight-Six had already charged out of the corner and prepared for the next one.

 

Izuku’s drifts were still completely neutral, and stable even in the rain, effectively using all four tyres’s grip!

 

Gunma's top downhiller’s time to shine has come!

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The red Silvia driven by Kirishima Eijirou entered the corner after a braking maneuver, and letting the tail slide out slightly by controlling the throttle under his right foot.

 

“He’s driving well!” commented a member of the audience as the Nissan throttled out of the corner.

 

“Yeah, but I’d like to see how the Eight-Six does it!”

 

The sound of the melodious 4-AGE engine belonging to the Sprinter Trueno reverberated throughout the valleys of Myougi as it sang a beautiful N/A tune, while the road surface grew brighter from approaching headlights.

 

“There's the Eight-Six, he’s a little behind!”

 

“It sounds incredible, so good!”

 

The infamous white Trueno appeared out from the corner, and throttled its way towards the turn where the galleries stood to watch.

 

Then the Toyota braked and downshifted with a loud roar, and the car began to slide way before the left turn.

 

“He’s drifting?!” came a hysterical exclamation.

 

With all four tyres being utilised, the Eight-Six charged through the left-hander sideways at a speed thought impossible, and exited the corner in a flash.

 

“... that was fast…”

 

“... am I dreaming?!”

 

In the rain, Midoriya Izuku relied heavily on engine braking; downshifting as early as he could to maximise engine revs to increase engine inertia, allowing him to brake as late as he can.

 

Then, he uses the grip in all four tyres positioned neutrally during a drift with minimal steering input to drive the Eight-Six quickly through corners!

 

The headlights of the AE86 appeared in Eijirou’s rear-view mirror only after a few turns in the downhill!

 

“That’s super fast, Izuku!” he spoke out loud as the headlights grew bigger when he braked for another corner, as the Trueno closed in on him and appeared on his driver’s door mirror.

 

They both drifted into the corner, with Izuku gaining on the RedSuns number-three every step of the way.

 

“He’s less than five centimetres away from the Silvia!” exclaimed an audience as the two cars dashed through the corner and accelerated out with their engines roaring.

 

Then Eijirou’s car went wide as he carried a little too much speed into the next, left-hand corner.

 

And the Eight-Six went straight for the gap, his tyres gripping firmly onto his racing line.

 

“Woah, he’s overtaking!”

 

“That’s unbelievably fast!”

 

In one fell swoop, the Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX drove past the Nissan Silvia Q’s as if it was driving at a traffic pace.

 

Eijirou smiled in good fun as Izuku pulled ahead easily in his Eight-Six, sweeping through corners sideways at high speeds, as he tried to follow the pace of the Trueno.

 

But with every corner, his S14 could not take turns quite as fast as the AE86, amd constantly fell behind after every single corner.

 

And soon enough, the Eight-Six disappeared from his view.

 

“Well, that’s the video for Shouto done…” he spoke out loud with an impressed smile, before glancing at the video camera mounted from his windscreen with multiple suction cups.

 

Unexpectedly, another set of headlights appeared in his mirror and closed in at an absurdly fast and rapid speed before passing through from his right side in a flash of white.

 

… no wonder… with that car - a CN9A Evo…!

 

And the 4WD car soon disappeared ahead.

 

Where the hell did it come from?

* * *

 


	26. A New Threat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The peace and normalcy was endangered.

* * *

‘Uraraka Ochako is dating an older man in a Benz for money.’

 

That was what was written on the small piece of torn, ruled paper.

 

He discovered that piece of paper folded and tucked in the corner of his locker when he was switching around his stuff for the next class of the day.

 

Although a little bit suspicious, he kept away the little piece of paper into the one of his pockets, and forgot about it for the rest of the day.

 

Until...

 

“Guess who?” said a female’s voice he immediately recognised after having his vision obscured by two soft hands.

 

“Stop it, Ochako…” he blushed, and the hands came off.

 

“Phew, I was afraid you might say someone else’s name!” smiled the girl teasingly. “Are you leaving now?”

 

“Yes, I have to go now, I have work.”

 

“Okay!” she waved him goodbye cheerfully.

 

And the journey on foot was made. He couldn’t help the insecurity he felt when he was walking back home in order to change into more comfortable clothes before going to the gas station.

 

Dating an older man for money...

 

… Ochako doesn’t seem like someone who would do that… would she?

 

Anyway, they were dating now… and they’ve even kissed!

 

He took out the piece of paper that ruined his day, and tossed it aside onto the road without a second’s thought - it must just be a prank, or some jealous person.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


In the Todoroki Villa, a certain door to a certain angry blond’s room was opened, and the person inside wasn’t happy about it.

 

Especially in the morning.

 

“How many fucking times did I tell you…” Bakugou Katsuki muttered under his breath as he ran a hand through his hair after sitting up on his bed. “To never come into my room without permission?!”

 

The blond’s room was clean and tidy, with a single spare Recaro seat sitting in the corner of the room holding old books.

 

“Not my fault.” Todoroki Fuyumi - the culprit - simply stood at the door with an unamused pout while talking normally. “Dear older brother has something to share with you.”

 

“Fucking…” he sighed, before glancing at the digital alarm clock that read 10:22. “What the fuck is it?”

 

“A video, he said.”

 

“Ugh, fuck, I get it.”

 

And thus the grumbling blond who had slept little (because he had to soak his wet clothes properly and take a proper hot shower last night) made his way down to the first floor of the house, into the big living room decked out with a surround sound system, and a flat-screen 42” TV mounted on the wall.

 

The half-and-half bastard was sat on the sofa, rewinding some taped video of… a dashcam at night?

 

“Fuck you want?!” he grumbled loudly as he sat down roughly on the sofa, practically dropping his entire weight on it.

 

“I asked Eijirou to record something for me yesterday.” stated the eldest Todoroki child. “Look at the Eight-Six drive.”

 

He pressed play on the controller for the cassette player, and the silent video came to life; showing the side of the Eight-Six with the tofu-shop sticker suddenly appear from the left side of the screen rapidly before its rear-end filled the screen.

 

Then, the car pulled away from the camera with quick series of well-executed drifts.

 

Like flowing water...

 

“Isn’t this yesterday’s race?”

 

“Yes. But look at the way he drives in the rain - the subtle way his drifts are adjusted for the loss of grip.” Shouto spoke out with his eyes still focused on the video. “If this is the speed he can carry on a wet mountain he’s driving for the first time, Midoriya can join my team anytime he wants to.”

 

“Is that all you called me down for?!” exploded Katsuki as he gestured to the screen. “To watch Deku drive his shitty Eight-Six?! I already know he can fucking drive!”

 

“Calm down, Katsuki; that’s not all.” his heterochromia eyes remained on the screen as the video continued to play. “Watch this.”

 

So he did.

 

And a white 1996 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV suddenly appeared out of nowhere from the right side of the screen and pulled away quicker than the Eight-Six did; right in the middle of the race.

 

“That.” said Shouto. “Is what I called you for.”

 

Bakugou Katsuki knew what it meant.

 

“Fucking… what an asshole, pulling a stunt like that.” the blond glared sharply at the Lancer which pulled a drift in the video before disappearing. “Whoever that Evo is, is definitely fucking with us.”

 

“If I’m right about this; they’re not from Gunma.” frowned Todoroki Shouto, pausing the video. “They’re here for a reason; and it cannot be friendly with the way they interrupted the race. Gunma’s going to need better drivers on the frontlines.”

 

“I’m gonna fucking beat that Evo when they come for us.”

 

It was an invasion of territory - and with those kind of cars, even Deku will be in trouble as he drove a  _ powerless _ Eight-Six.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Izuku, there’s something I wanted to ask you.” was the first thing Kirishima Eijirou said when he reported for work. “Did you get passed by an Evo IV on Myougi’s downhill?”

 

“Yeah…” came the reply. “I met them yesterday actually, while out with Denki in Haruna.”

 

The Midoriya and Kaminari were out for a Sunday drive initiated by the yellow-haired boy in his Silvia, when all off a sudden, they were passed by the very same Lancer Izuku saw in Myougi.

 

Then, they reached the top of Haruna to see the car parked with the occupants smoking outside, before seeing them and approaching to ask for directions to Akagi; which they helpfully provided.

 

They weren’t locals of Gunma.

 

Denki had then asked if they came to Haruna to challenge the Eight-Six, in which the driver of the Evo laughed in his face out loud.

 

“An Eight-Six?!” came the condescending response. “My teammates will laugh at  _ me _ if I win against an Eight-Six! It’s disgraceful!”

 

Unexpectedly, the passenger had apologised for the rudeness of the driver, but had agreed with his point of the AE86 being a car that has no worth for speed.

 

Then they left.

 

“... this is not good, Izuku.” stated the red-haired male with a serious expression. “Shouto warned me about them, and Katsuki told me to warn you too.”

 

“...why?”

 

“The Lan-Evos - they’re not in Gunma for a friendly visit.” spoke the older male. “They’re here to conquer the local racers and take down fastest teams.”

 

…

 

Izuku remembered the way his beloved Toyota was ridiculed by the male with the bluish-grey hair.

 

His Trueno, which he grew up with and drove for five years; which beaten all the newer and more powerful machines who tried to race it so far? No, his AE86 was a good car!

 

He wasn’t going to back down without a fight.

 

“I’ll race them. When they come for me in Haruna.” he said firmly.

 

Kirishima Eijirou’s response was a shocked expression that appeared on his face.

 

“You’ve really become a racer, Izuku.” smiled the red-haired Nissan driver.

 

Midoriya Izuku blushed, before their colleague came to join them after serving a customer.

 

“I wanna suggest, Izuku,” began Denki with a grin as if he had the best idea in the world. “What about tuning up your Eight-Six?”

 

“Hmm… I can’t, the car’s not mine, technically.” stated the boy. “And it’ll definitely use more fuel after getting more powerful-”

 

“WHAT KIND OF RACER THINKS ABOUT FUEL EFFICIENCY?!”

 

Meanwhile, Aizawa Shouta who had overheard the conversation grew worried.

 

If Izuku was going to race an Evo… perhaps a tune-up was a good idea, and he definitely needed it.

 

He needed to talk to Yagi Toshinori.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


He had been waiting on the peak of Akagi ever since he received that phone call this morning asking him to be here.

 

In this afternoon of summer-transitioning-to-autumn, Shouto wore aviator sunglasses to shield his eyes from the burning sun, as he sat inside the comfort of his air-conditioned FC.

 

He had been gathering news yesterday; trying to learn of the new visitors in Gunma, and the news hadn’t been good.

 

Two racing teams had already been defeated, and had a copy of their stickers taken away and sliced into half and stuck onto a rear wing - he had heard; in Gunsai, and Myougi.

 

… that was the sound of a turbo blow-off valve, a 4G63T….

 

It’s here - the very same white Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV he saw in the video a week ago.

 

‘Emperor’ - the sticker on its rear window read; team Emperor from Irohazaka, Tochigi, comprised of only Lan-Evo drivers.

 

And as promised, one of the two occupants who gotten out of the car was Yoarashi Inasa - the leader who believed in the superiority of powerful 4WD rally cars on the mountain roads.

 

He gotten out of his FC and stood up straight next to the car after he closed the door.

 

The driver of the Evo IV - a male with bluish-grey hair - was probably the number-two of Emperor. But he’s not the important one now; as Shouto’s focus was put on the taller person.

 

“Todoroki Shouto.” said the leader of Emperor.

 

“Yoarashi Inasa.” replied the leader of RedSuns. “I’ve been waiting.”

 

“Remember what you said to me a year ago?” He did, and he said that the other could never defeat him in his Evo III. “I’m back, and I’ll conquer Gunma within a month.”

 

“... so I’ve heard.”

 

“I’ll be the one to defeat you on Akagi, Todoroki Shouto, and end your winning streak just like you ended mine on Irohazaka!”

 

Instead of feeling threatened, the red-and-white haired male chuckled with humour, causing Inasa to feel slight indignance as he thought he was being mocked.

 

“Sorry to disappoint you,” spoke the Mazda driver. “But my winning streak was recently ended by the Eight-Six of Haruna.”

 

“... Eight-Six…?”

 

Could it be… that Eight-Six that was driving Myougi downhill in the rain recently? The same Eight-Six the yellow-haired kid they met on Haruna mentioned?

 

He was riding along in the Evo IV that time, and just thought that although the Trueno’s driver was good, the car itself was no contender.

 

… but it managed to beat Todoroki Shouto and his FC3S?

 

“Anyway, if you’re after me, try by all means.” stated Todoroki Shouto as he adjusted his eyewear. “I’ll speak to the other teams on Akagi to free up the place for three days before our match next week.”

 

He opened up the door of the FC, and prepared to get in.

 

“Feel free to practice as much as you want, but you will won’t be able to defeat me.”

 

Then the FC shifted into first gear and drove onto the main road to descent the mountain at a relaxed speed.

 

“What a cocky asshole.” sneered the driver of the Evo IV as he opened up his driver’s door. “I’ll fucking catch him and teach him a lesson.”

 

“Don’t, Romero.” Inasa stopped his impulsive teammate before he got into the car. “You won’t be able to catch him.”

 

“He doesn’t look that fast, in that shitty old FC-”

 

“My Evo III and I was beaten solidly a year ago by that very same FC driven by him!” he said angrily. “He’s a driver  _ faster _ than you can imagine, Fujimi Romero!”

 

“... fuck, I see…”

 

Inasa opened the passenger-side door.

 

“Anyway, change of plans; we’ll head to Haruna tomorrow.”

 

“The Eight-Six?!” exclaimed incredulously. “Why the fuck do I have to race that piece of shit?”

 

“Our main target is still Todoroki Shouto. But since the Eight-Six took my prey; we’ll deal with that first.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


He was knocking off work.

 

Izuku watched in surprise as an unfamiliar, Lime Green Two-Tone Nissan S13 K’s Silvia pulled into their gas station with utmost urgency, as the driver stepped out, leaving the door open and the car running.

 

“Is Midoriya Izuku here?” asked the driver, a blond male. “I’m Ojirou Mashirao of the Speed Stars.”

 

“I’m Izuku… why are you looking for me?” asked the green-haired boy.

 

He had heard of the Speed Stars - a team formed on Haruna by a group of friends for Sunday-driving, filled with car enthusiasts and no real racers.

 

“Midoriya-san, the Lan-Evo team is in Haruna!” he said with urgency. “They want to race your Eight-Six tonight, if not they’ll race our team! Please protect Haruna!”

 

The boy’s gaze hardened and grew serious.

 

He heard from Denki and Eijirou that Tokoyami Fumikage from the NightKids was recently defeated once more by the Lan-Evos, and got their sticker cut in half and pasted on the rear wing upside-down of an Evo IV.

 

Although he felt sorry for Tokoyami for his losing streak; this team called Emperor meant trouble in Gunma.

 

They had come to Haruna, but earlier than he expected them to - hinting at the strength of their drivers...

 

Regardless...

 

“I’ll be there.”

* * *

 


	27. Premonition Of Defeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Eight-Six moves to Haruna as its first line of defense.

* * *

“A tune-up?” repeated Toshinori, sitting on a wooden crate in his workshop.

 

“Yeah, you think of anything like that?” asked Aizawa Shouta while smoking a cigarette. “Izuku’s up against Lan-Evos this time. They’re scary cars.”

 

“... about that, it seems to be the right time, with the Eight-Six’s age and all that…” sighed the old blond as he stood up. “Follow me.”

 

And he was brought to a storage room deep in the back of the garage, and the lights were turned on to reveal a cloth-covered engine sitting on the floor in the middle of the room.

 

“Prepare yourself.” warned the blond, and Shouta gave an unamused stare.

 

The brown cloth was lifted off and the mysterious engine was unveiled to the manager of the gas station that Midoriya Izuku worked at.

 

His eyes slowly widened in shock, after he recognised what the 4-cylinder engine sat in the middle of the room was.

 

“That’s…”

 

“Yeah. A hell of an engine, I know.” stated Yagi Toshinori as he stared at the silver-coloured motor sitting innocently on the wooden board. “The way I see this, it must have been modified for daily use.”

 

“How did you get this?” frowned Shouta.

 

“I didn’t. Nighteye discovered it.” came the response as he covered the engine back up again with the same cloth. “Hisashi managed to order it before he died. Imagine my surprise when it came in one day.”

 

“... I can’t imagine this thing being under the hood of the Eight-Six…”

 

“But, only if the current engine blows up.” All-Might interrupted his thoughts. “I don’t want to get Izuku in trouble for this engine.”

 

That is, the current engine; the red-top 4-AGEU, which has been put into the Eight-Six after the original blue-top engine from the factory had been destroyed in Hisashi’s death.

 

“... he’s racing tonight. I’m going.”

 

“I’ll be going, too.” stated the blond man. “But there’s also something else Izuku must also do to be deserving of this engine.”

 

“... What is it?” Shouta took another breath of the cigarette.

 

“Lose.”

 

The cigarette nearly dropped out from between Aizawa Shouta’s lips.

 

“...?!”

 

“The boy’s gotten too comfortable with his current Eight-Six, and I know he’s been winning races with the car; and although I admit it’s incredible, that’s exactly what’s making him not deserving of this power.”

 

“... you’re saying that…”

 

“To push his Eight-Six to the absolute limit, and still lose… will make him truly realise the need for more power in a car.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The warm tune of the 4-AGEU red-top engine under the hood of the Trueno announced the car’s presence in Haruna as it sung its way up the hill while its voice reverberated through the valleys.

 

The galleries on Haruna noticed his arrival; and:

 

“He’s here! Gunma’s downhill hero!”

 

“Beat those Evos back home, Eight-Six!”

 

“Oh man… I feel hope now! Even though its an Eight-Six…”

 

The 18-year-old Midoriya Izuku and his 14-year-old Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX had come to defend the honour of street-racers of Gunma on the downhill of Haruna!

 

The white Evo IV was already parked and waiting on the starting line, and Izuku turned his AE86 around with a three-point turn before pulling up right next to it and got out of the car.

 

“Name’s Fujimi Romero! Remember it when I beat the crap outta you in my Evo IV!” said the male with the bluish-grey hair with a cocky sneer.

 

… well, his attitude was certainly similar to a certain muscular blond he knew; but he briefly wondered why he felt annoyed at the Evo driver, and never the RX-7 driver.

 

Maybe because Kacchan was a childhood friend.

 

… and handsome (and hot [and an amazing driver]).

 

… anyway, getting back to the matter at hand-

 

“I’m Midoriya Izuku.” he introduced himself, as another male - taller one - stepped forward.

 

“I’m Yoarashi Inasa, leader of team Emperor.” spoke the black-haired male. “I have a proposal for you; since I’ve heard you’re not part of a team.”

 

Izuku stayed silent for the other man to continue.

 

“I suggest you race for the Speed Stars, and if you lose, we’ll take their sticker as a trophy. Is that okay with you?”

 

The green-haired boy then looked at the leader of Speed Stars, who nodded; and put his trust in Midoriya Izuku.

 

“I agree.”

 

“Excellent!” he said with a smile. “I would like your Eight-Six to have a five second head start, since your car is underpowered.”

 

“... sure.”

 

And Izuku got back into the driver’s seat and buckled himself in; while the leader of the Lan-Evo team spoke to his teammate.

 

“Simulation Three, Romero.” he ordered.

 

“Against an Eight-Six?!” roared Fujimi Romero. “You outta your mind?!”

 

“Do not underestimate that Eight-Six.” he said, because he felt the powerful aura coming off in waves off the driver. “He must have something that allowed him to defeat Todoroki Shouto.”

 

“Tch.” he gotten into his car and revved the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine after buckling himself into the Recaro bucket seats.

 

Then, Inasa gave the Eight-Six a thumbs-up, signalling that he can set off anytime he’s ready.

 

The Eight-Six roared out.

 

“GO! EIGHT-SIX!”

 

Izuku set off, in the race to defend the racers of Gunma.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Oi, Shouto!” screamed Katsuki into his phone as he drove through the streets of Shibukawa after the other picked up the call. “The Lan-Evos are in Haruna! Deku’s racing them right now!”

 

He was waiting for a red light.

 

“Oh?” responded the Todoroki. “I figured as much…”

 

“The fuck you mean, you ‘figured as much’?”

 

“Yoarashi Inasa is a past acquaintance of mine.” stated Todoroki Shouto. “I know his style, he’s one to pick his targets smartly. Perhaps racing against Midoriya is a way for him to gauge if he can take me on.”

 

“Fuck…” cursed the blond as he accelerated after the lights turned green. “Do you think he can win?”

 

He was getting close to Haruna.

 

“Do  _ you _ think he can win?” Shouto redirected the question.

 

“... yeah.” Katsuki wasn’t confident, because the opponent will be driving a Evolution which accelerates and turns well but- 

 

But because it’s Deku, and Deku had beaten him  _ twice _ , and  _ every _ other modern racing machines with that incredible hunk of junk on wheels.

 

“He’ll fucking win, I know it. Deku can’t lose on Haruna’s downhill.”

 

That impossible boy with the freckles and messy, curly hair, who made miracles happen when he’s behind the wheel of the High-Tech Two-Tone 1983 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX with a tofu shop sticker on its driver’s door.

 

“Watch at the second-last corner.”

 

With that, Todoroki Shouto hung up the phone.

 

“Tch…”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The powerful Evo IV had caught up to his car even before the first corner had approached.

 

Oh well - he didn’t have a powerful car…

 

Downshifting from fourth gear into second, his AE86’s engine roared out loud as he guided the car into the left-handed, first corner of Haruna at the high speed he always drifted through it at while flooring the gas all the way to the exit.

 

Although the car behind was fast and was sticking to him, he felt no pressure… not like Todoroki Shouto had managed to give him during their race.

 

He was driving relaxed, like on a delivery run although he was going faster than his pace in the mornings.

 

Izuku recalled the conversation he had with the Tochigi locals days prior as he idly shifted into third gear on instinct, rev-matching perfectly.

 

That Fujimi Romero guy… claiming that racing an Eight-Six is not worth his time and that he’d win too easily…

 

His grip on the steering wheel hardened as he braked and downshifted his car with a clutch-kicked heel-and-toe, as his engine roared out as if feeling his emotions of indignance.

 

They won’t know who’s going to win for sure, until they race - won’t they?!

 

Midoriya Izuku was  _ so _ going to teach that Evo IV driver a lesson he’ll never forget!

 

His four tyres lost grip equally as Izuku sent the car into a perfectly neutral four-wheel drift with minimal countersteer into the right-handed hairpin corner at full throttle, and the Mitsubishi followed closely behind.

 

“Tch…” frowned the driver of the 4WD car as he felt the annoyance of not being able to fully throttle the engine. “Why the fuck did he call for a Simulation Three against this fucking piece of crap?!”

 

He let go of the gas fully as he noticed his car caught up too easily and almost rubbed the rear bumper of the leading GT-APEX.

 

“This is so fucking frustrating…!” he saw brake-lights and responded by stomping on the middle pedal before steering left for the hairpin corner as he floored the gas fully after his car was sent sideways.

 

The two cars shot out of the left-handed hairpin with the CN9A gaining easily on the exit of the turns once more, and the wastegate of the turbo could be heard when the driver let go of the gas as their bumpers nearly touched.

 

But suddenly, the turbo spooled up once more as the 4WD driver stomped his right foot hard on the accelerator!

 

“Fuck your Simulation Three, Inasa!” shouted the frustrated driver of the Evo IV as he steered left into the open space to overtake the AE86. “I’ll beat this Eight-Six regardless of any shitty plans!”

 

Simulation Three - also known as the strategy team Emperor took when the opponent is a tough one; trailing behind opponents to overtake at a crucial moment during the last half of the race - similar to Todoroki Shouto’s usual strategy.

 

Izuku watched as the Evo IV pulled out easily ahead as if his Eight-Six was stationary.

 

“That’s… fast!”

 

Romero braked before shifting into second gear, keeping his RPMs high as he jerked the wheel towards the left for the mid-speed corner, upsetting the balance of the car and forcing it into a drift before slamming his foot onto the gas.

 

Fujimi Romero was by no means a slow driver; he had mastered the act of the 4WD drift: steer into the corner and fully open the throttle.

 

If you either countersteered or let go of the gas like you’d do drifting in an FR car, you’ll immediately understeer and crash into a guardrail! Fighting against these two instincts was the first steps of mastering the high-speed 4WD drift style!

 

And the Evo IV shot of the compound corner at a high speed, with the driver feeling smug for the first time of being able to fully show off his high-speed drifts and obviously, being able to  _ fully _ throttle the car for the first time in this race.

 

‘Heh, bet you can’t keep up with-’

 

The square-shaped headlights belonging to Haruna’s Eight-Six were firmly plastered on his rear-view mirror.

 

‘What the fuck?!’

* * *

 


	28. Hooking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midoriya Izuku makes a move!

* * *

“Papa… I…”

 

“What is it?” asked the older male as he smoked a cigarette. The driver’s door window was rolled down to let the smoke and smell out of the car.

 

“I can’t do this anymore… I’m sorry.”

 

“... really?” the man asked with confusion. “Ochako, I already said I’m okay with you seeing a boy…”

 

“Yes… but…” she spoke softly as a blush was visible on her face. “I really like this boy… I mean, I like you too; but in a different way…”

 

“Do you really have to do this?”

 

“... I’m sorry…”

 

“... do it with me once more, and I’ll let you go.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


‘ _ Why _ the  _ fuck _ is that Eight-Six  _ not _ a speck of light in my mirror?!’ thought Fujimi Romero as he floored the gas of his Evo IV after shifting up into third gear, exiting the right-handed hairpin with the old Toyota literally sticking to his rear bumper.

 

The two cars were now in the high-speed section of Haruna, and the Mitsubishi driver took the opportunity to use his powerful, 300 HP engine to put some distance between him and the AE86.

 

‘I never thought an Eight-Six could drive this well.’ he shifted into fourth gear, as his wastegate hissed before the turbo spooled up again when he floored the gas. ‘That kid’s strong…! What the hell…!’

 

The Eight-Six was now far behind, but that’s to be expected, and soon the leading Evo IV far ahead had reached the end of the straightaway and had to brake for a left-handed hairpin corner.

 

He downshifted into second gear and tossed his car into the turn with a feint motion, steering outwards before diving into the turn while flooring the gas to drift through the corner at a high speed without losing grip.

 

“That’s a  _ ridiculously _ fast car…!” mumbled Izuku as he braked and clutch-kicked his downshifts from fourth gear into second, causing his 4-AGE engine to hit the note at 8000 RPM as he drifted the car into the left-handed hairpin with the throttle fully open in the redline.

 

The Trueno’s right-side panels nearly touched the guardrails as he charged out of the corner before upshifting into third gear.

 

The Lancer was still _ too far _ ahead...

 

Even when he’s driving like this; braking as late as he could while gaining on the entry into corners, he’s losing ground on the exits of the corners!

 

All because of the gap the Evo IV was able to widen up during the long straightaway!

 

Izuku desperately stepped hard down on the accelerator - he  _ needed  _ more power…!

 

“The Evo IV! It’s here!”

 

“Where’s the Eight-Six?! I never see him trail behind so far before!”

 

“... maybe this is really the end of his winning streak, huh…?”

 

Diving into the first of the five consecutive hairpin corners at full speed, the white Mitsubishi CN9A braked and downshifted while feinting into the corner, forcing weight to shift to toss the car into the right-handed corner sharply while flooring the gas.

 

And the Lancer dashed out of the corner nearly touching the guardrails after two seconds, leaving the crowds dazed by its speed.

 

“There’s the Eight-Six!”

 

Izuku kept his foot on the gas, before braking while sending his car drifting into the corner at the same time, while aiming for the inner edge of the corner.

 

He felt the Trueno lean inwards slightly as its inner-front tyre caught the dip of the gutters, giving him extra cornering force mid-drift and allowing him to fully throttle his way through the corner without losing grip!

 

Then the AE86 charged out of the corner at an impossibly blazing fast speed, leaving the corner closer to the outer guardrails than the leading CN9A did as it positioned itself for the next hairpin.

 

“... what the hell did he do?”

 

“The way he corners is fast! Are you sure he’s not a pro?!”

 

In the Lan-Evo, Fujimi Romero fought with the steering wheel as he bravely kept his foot on the gas for the drifts in the five consecutive hairpins, where a certain quirk of his car was beginning to be unveiled.

 

‘Tch! These corners are tough…!’ the Mitsubishi driver gritted his teeth as he straightened up his car by turning the wheel and doing a quick gas on-and-off. ‘Because of the central diff… these fucking  five tight hairpins are making me lose a lot of speed!’

 

He braked and threw his car into the third corner as he kept his foot on the gas like he should do with a 4WD car during a drift before exiting the corner.

 

‘But the Eight-Six takes the same corners, any car’s gonna lose speed in these five hairpin-’

 

‘VRRRRRRRRH!’ A roar of a naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder engine, loud and right behind him.

 

Romero’s eyes widened in shock.

 

The headlights were back in his mirrors…!

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Oh, you made it, Katsuki.” smiled Kirishima Eijirou, standing next to his parked red S14 with Kaminari Denki, as the blond got out of his yellow RX-7.

 

“Did that half-and-half bastard tell you to watch the race here too?” frowned the Mazda driver as he walked up towards the couple before pulling out a pack of cigarettes.

 

“Yeah… he said this is the only spot to watch the race from.” came the response from his teammate.

 

“Tch… I know that bastard’s trying to show me something…”

 

“Could it be that thing he  _ always _ talks about?” suggested the red-haired male. “The ‘third point’ in his street-racing theories?”

 

“Tch… the third point…” repeated Katsuki. “He said that the third point is something Deku is  _ very good _ at doing, especially on Haruna.”

 

“What’s the ‘third point’?” asked a very confused Kaminari Denki. 

 

“Fucking bastard always says the truly fast driver doesn’t excel in the straights or the turns, but in the third element of the course.” replied the blond as he blew out smoke.

 

“Not the straights or the turns?!” exclaimed Denki incredulously. “What the hell else is there?”

 

“I think he’s talking about the links between corners, Denki.” Eijirou interpreted the riddle.

 

“That’s half correct, shark-tooth.” disagreed Bakugou Katsuki as he stared at a bush. “Tyre management… and the choice of lines; drawing of the  _ smoothest _ lines to both cut through the roads and save tyres at the same time; that’s what the third point is.”

 

“Something else I’ll tell you…” continued the blond. “This third point is how both Shouto and I lost to shitty Deku and his Eight-Six.”

 

Bakugou Katsuki has also developed this ‘third point’ after his loss to Izuku, and presented the newly-discovered skill during the race on Myougi’s uphill against Tokoyami Fumikage and his BNR32.

 

This technique and strategy required a driver’s familiarity with a piece of road, to be able to draw out racing lines that minimised unnecessary steering to shorten distance travelled by the tyres and therefore, conserving the grip on them at the same time.

 

“How does it work?” asked Eijirou, genuinely curious of the blond’s experience with Haruna’s Eight-Six.

 

“You overtake him, thinking that he’s just driving a shitty car, then he sticks to your ass with his perfect lines.” came the response. “Then you fuck up your tyres thinking you can pull away, then Deku pulls a move to overtake your overconfident ass. The end.”

 

Bakugou Katsuki perhaps shared that fact with a little too much personal touch.

 

“Oh… I think I experienced that on Myougi, too.” confirmed the red-haired male.

 

“You definitely experienced it, shitty-hair.” smirked Katsuki.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Izuku  _ thought _ he was imagining things when he saw the leading Evo IV take a slightly less-than-ideal line, but his prayers were answered when the leading car did the same thing once more.

 

The Mitsubishi’s tyres… were they beginning to  _ overheat _ ?

 

He was able to catch up more on the entry into corners, but not so much out of corners, even with the Lancer’s current tyres.

 

Downshifting and braking for the right-handed hairpin corner before a long straight, he tried his best to floor the gas all the way through the corner as he went as close as he could to the guardrails.

 

The two white cars were a meter apart when they left the corner, and the more powerful Lan-Evo immediately began to pull away on the straight.

 

Third gear.  _ Floor the gas _ .

 

It was the tyres - with the way that 4WD drifted around corners while spinning all four tyres; it wore down the tyres quickly, especially during the five consecutive hairpins.

 

He felt frustration when he slammed his foot onto the brake pedal and forcibly drifted his Evo IV sharply into the long mid-speed right corner while flooring the gas.

 

His tyres were losing their grip…!

 

And that Eight-Six behind had snuck up on him for longer and longer periods of time!

 

He didn’t feel satisfied anymore when he could just pull away easily on the short straightaway leading into another corner.

 

Because… that Eight-Six driver, was faster in the corners.  _ Way _ faster - as much as it  _ hurts _ to admit it.

 

What’s a piece of crap like that Trueno doing behind his bumper instead of being in the scrapyard?!

 

He can’t lose against that car! Imagine the disgrace - all that power and 4WD system, useless against an old, powerless AE86!

 

His body jerked forward as he braked, and the headlights in his mirrors grew bigger like every single time it did when they had to brake into a corner.

 

But it fell behind every time they accelerated out of the corners too.

 

If that was the Toyota’s limit, he couldn’t catch him on the exits anyway - the victory was Fujimi Romero’s!

 

His tensed body relaxed against his seatrest when he convinced himself that there was nothing the trailing car could do to win.

 

Really, there wasn’t.

 

This race was _ his. _

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“How is Izuku going to win this, I wonder…?” pondered Kaminari Denki. “His car is way too underpowered to do anything against that Evo…”

 

“I’m sure Shouto has a reason to ask us to watch the race here.” stated Eijirou before turning his gaze towards Bakugou Katsuki. “Right?”

 

“Don’t fucking ask so much questions.” grumbled the blond. “When those two come out of that corner, you better watch carefully as that Evo IV punk gets taught a lesson.”

 

“You _ really _ believe in his abilities that much?” asked the red-haired male with a raised eyebrow.

 

“If that Deku can beat both me and half-and-half, he must have done at least something right.” responded Katsuki.

 

In actual fact, Bakugou Katsuki was only saying that Izuku will win this race in the hopes that what he says will come true before his eyes - it was pure  _ faith _ .

 

Because he knew how difficult it was to even keep up with 4WD cars, let alone a Lan-Evo.

 

But because the green-haired boy - his childhood friend - had beaten him before, he didn’t want to see him lose.

 

Katsuki wanted that Deku to keep on winning in his AE86 as long as he lived.

 

Unbeknownst to the blond, he had already fallen in love for the way that very Eight-Six drove.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


‘Not enough…!’ thought Izuku as he felt his right-side tyres unhook themselves from the drainage ditch as he floored the gas to exit the corner. ‘The Evo is still faster even if I’m driving like this… I  _ need _ a way to get close all at once!’

 

He shifted up into third gear and floored the gas, but not even the speed-warning chime comforted him to know that he was going over 100 km/h on this very short straight.

 

They were getting close to the goal. He needed to catch that Evo IV, or he’ll lose!

 

Is this his limit?!

 

He braked before drifting in third gear, dropping his left-side tyres in the ditch on the inside of the corner, reeling in the Lan-Evo on the entry of the mid-speed corner rapidly, but got left behind as soon as the exit of the corner was seen.

 

Damn…!

 

Not even the gutter-hook technique was quick enough against that monstrous car!

 

Wait.

 

The gutters…!

 

That’s it!

  
  


...

  
  


It was a snowy winter’s afternoon day on the roads of Haruna in early 1984.

 

Two young boys sat in the back seat of the brand new, black A183A Mitsubishi Starion GSR-V, as it got driven by Bakugou Mitsuki at the front with Bakugou Masaru in the passenger seat.

 

They were just returning from the lake of Haruna and driving downhill as the busy Midoriyas requested them to take care of their Izuku for a day.

 

“Look, Kacchan!” the green-haired boy pointed outside the windows. “That’s what I was talking about! Dad drives our car using those!”

 

He spotted the drainage gutter at the sides of the road.

 

“Seriously Deku?” the blond child raised an eyebrow with disbelief. “You can’t do that!”

 

“But he did!” pouted the other boy. “He turned the car so fast!”

 

Kacchan then stayed silent for a few seconds, before speaking again.

 

“I think there are two ways to drive these.” stated the 12-year-boy thoughtfully. “To prevent understeer, or exiting a corner faster. The timing will be different, obviously.”

 

“How did you know that?!” wonder was evident in the green-haired boy’s eyes. “You’re amazing, Kacchan!”

  
  


...

  
  


Izuku had never tried the technique before; but now - it was either do or die!

 

At the corner before the compound turn under a bridge, Midoriya Izuku made his move!

 

He was around two meters away from the Evo IV going into the turn, and Izuku took a wide line and steered into the right-hander, aiming for the very inside in third gear.

 

‘Ding-dong-’

 

NOW!

 

The Trueno leaned into the corner as he dropped in his right-side tyres into the ditch, and he floored the gas to increase his speed further above 100 km/h, as he felt his body grow chill with adrenaline.

 

The engine roared at 7600 RPM and climbed its revs, as the rear of the Lan-Evo became bigger through his windscreen!

 

A second later, his inner tyres could no longer grip on due to the  _ insane _ amounts of side-G force they had to deal with, and the car shot towards the outer edge of the corner during the exit - but it was exactly what he needed!

 

Bakugou Katsuki watched with his breath held and his body tensed as the Eight-Six rapidly gained on the leading CN9A and pulled up right next to it in a blur of white and yellow lights.

 

He couldn’t help the smile that graced his face - that Deku… he actually did it!

 

The 4-AGE engine of the Trueno snarled out proudly as the car pulled up side-by-side with the Lancer, while the two cars rapidly approached the second last corner.

 

The Toyota was going to take the inside path!

 

Braking for the corner, Izuku downshifted into second gear as soon as he could and sent the car into a screaming, high-speed drift, while the Lancer right next to it understeered pathetically.

 

“Hmph!” smirked Katsuki as he noticed the useless front tyres of the 4WD as he veered outwards. “Look at that shitty Evo slip.”

 

The other two males stood observing at that particular corner were made speechless with their mouths hung open by the incomprehensible move executed by the driver of the AE86.

 

The Phantom Eight-Six of Haruna had overtaken the Lan-Evo of Emperor in a flash.

 

There was no places the Evo IV could retake the lead now - the race had been decided the moment Midoriya Izuku positioned his AE86 next to Fujimi Romero’s CN9A for the inside line.

 

“How did he do it…?!” spoke an audience at the finish line in disbelief as the Toyota crossed the it ahead of the Mitsubishi.

 

“That’s a little spooky… too scary…!”

 

“Yeah, but it just means that Gunma’s top downhiller is just that good! GO EIGHT-SIX!”

 

“We gotta tell Mashirao! Call his phone!”

 

“I’m trying! My hands are shaking too much!”

 

Midoriya Izuku and his Eight-Six had stopped the Lan-Evo team’s invasion of Gunma.

 

Just like that, team Emperor’s winning streak was broken by the legendary Eight-Six of Haruna.

* * *

 


	29. Invitation to Akagi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disgraced with the loss, Yoarashi Inasa invites Izuku and his AE86 to Akagi.

* * *

Izuku sat in his parked AE86 with the engine turned off as he thought about things at the roadside of Haruna’s entrance.

 

Like how the race went. On Haruna.

 

_ Haruna _ .

 

He didn’t feel a high like he did winning previous races; against Kacchan, against Tokoyami.

 

He didn’t feel like he won at all - because it had been on Haruna. Had it been any other course against that monstrous Evo; he would have lost; and he understood that to a painful level.

 

Although Haruna was the course in which he learnt how to be a racer… he now no longer wants to race on the home course.

 

Mount Haruna has seen the very last of him and and Eight-Six for battles.

 

He will never race on this road ever again!

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Did my instructions mean  _ nothing _ to you, Fujimi Romero?” asked the leader of Emperor rhetorically, with simmering, withheld rage evident in his tone. “Do you know how badly you’ve screwed up our plans?”

 

The team members of Emperor all stood around them, staring at Romero with sympathetic looks. It was not good to be under fire by their leader.

 

“... I’m sorry, Inasa.” apologized the number-two of the Lan-Evo team.

 

“Do you even know how you lost?”

 

“... I don’t know.” came the reply. “I could barely see anything in the mirror other than his headlights.”

 

“If you followed Simulation Three like I told you, then maybe you wouldn’t be so humiliated by a mere Eight-Six.” spat Inasa, inhaling a stick of cigarette. “You could have learnt so much more trailing behind than peeking into the rear-view mirror.”

 

He tossed the cigarette onto the ground and grinded it onto the pavement with his boot.

 

“That’s the end of our plans for total domination in Gunma thanks to you…” spoke Yoarashi Inasa. “But more importantly, I’m here to defeat Todoroki Shouto. We’ll head to Akagi next week.”

 

“What about the Eight-Six?” asked a member of Emperor.

 

“I’ll handle it.” said the leader as he walked off for his Evo III. “I don’t want to hear a word of what happened here today, understood?”

 

The team watched as their leader left the grounds of Haruna first.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Katsuki?” called out Todoroki Shouto as he walked into the car workshop in the afternoon.

 

Bakugou Automobile Maintenance; opened by the blond himself because he didn’t want anything to do with the ‘shitty man’ named Todoroki Enji.

 

Business was good, Katsuki does his job well and earns quite a lot to pay for things he needed - fuel, tyres, car parts, bills for a small house he bought on the peak of Akagi next to the lake.

 

In actual fact, he didn’t really need this workshop as he inherited all his parent’s assets - and they were rich. This was just something Katsuki did to pass time and be more responsible for himself.

 

He didn’t want people to accuse him of living off his dead parent’s money along with the Todoroki’s money.

 

“Over here, dipshit!” replied the blond from rolled out from underneath a 1993 Honda Prelude SiR in Frost White. “What d’you want?”

 

Shouto did a once-over the blond’s topless physical appearance with an unamused stare from his heterochromatic eyes.

 

“Put on a shirt.”

 

“Fuck you, this is my shop, I do what I want.” the blond had grime and motor oil smudged across his muscular body in spots, but he didn’t seem to be bothered. “Do you have nothing better to do?”

 

“Just coming to tell you that Emperor is still coming to Akagi next week.” stated the retired RedSuns driver. “I’ll handle the downhill, you do the uphill.”

 

“Tch, okay. I’ll teach them a thing or two about racing.” grumbled the blond as he rolled back underneath the Honda to continue his work.

 

“You’ll likely be racing against the Evo IV, since I’ll most likely be dealing with Yoarashi Inasa and his Evo III.”

 

The blond grunted in acknowledgement.

 

“Anyway, how did you find the race on Haruna yesterday?” asked the red-and-white haired male. “You must be proud of your boyfriend, aren’t y-”

 

He narrowly avoided a wrench thrown at him with full force that could’ve easily caused a concussion.

 

“GET OUT OF MY WORKSHOP, ASSHOLE!”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


A week later, there was a visit from an unexpected, and unwelcome guest in the afternoon.

 

“Is Midoriya Izuku around?” asked the male who got out of the black Evo III after it pulled over on the avenue next to the gas station.

 

Izuku just stood and stared as the tall man's eyes searched around and found him.

 

Inasa gave a stern look.

 

“Tomorrow, be at Akagi and I’ll race you.” stated the leader of Emperor. “This isn’t a race, but I’d like you to come so I can show you a thing or two about what it means to drive a good car, versus a bad one.”

 

The Midoriya boy felt anger flare up at yet another insult directed at his Trueno, but continued listening nonetheless.

 

“If you have the passion for racing but don’t show up in a good machine, that’s disrespectful to others who are racing you.” spoke Yoarashi Inasa as he opened up his driver’s door. “If you come, I’ll teach you what it means to be a real racer; if not, prove me wrong.”

 

With that, Inasa got back into his Mitsubishi, engaged first gear, dropped the handbrake lever and drove off.

 

“What a smack-talker.” commented Denki with a sneer. “Don’t race him, Izuku. He’s obviously here for revenge.”

 

“Denki’s right.” agreed Eijirou. “You can’t win if you’re racing on Akagi.”

 

“Don’t worry, I don’t intend to race him.” stated the green-haired boy. “This weekend is for the fight between Emperor and the RedSuns. I don’t want people to think I’m hogging the spotlight.”

 

“Good move, Izuku.” smiled the red-haired male.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“This is weird…” said Fujimi Romero, standing next to Emperor’s leader. “There’s not a single car on the roads of Akagi.”

 

“The RedSuns are just trying to psyche us out.” explained Inasa, smoking. “They’re trying to hint that no matter how much we practice; we won’t be able to win.”

 

“... tch.”

 

“Well, let them hope their overconfidence can ensure their victory.” stated the black-haired man. “I’ll still be beating Todoroki Shouto during our race.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The phone on the wall stopped ringing as Izuku picked it up.

 

“Hello-”

 

“You got the note, didn’t you?” asked the voice - a female. “Uraraka is seeing the man at ‘Jungle Fever’ in Maebashi at around 8.”

 

“Wait, who is this?”

 

“Go there if you don’t believe me.” the voice ignored his question.

 

“Who is-”

 

The line went dead.

 

He stared at the handset held in his grip.

 

… was that true? He didn’t want to believe that Uraraka Ochako is really dating a… a sugar daddy, but… it didn’t hurt to confirm it, right?

 

It’ll just prove that whoever this person was, was wrong!

 

He grabbed the keys to the Toyota.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Two certain RedSuns member were stood at a parking lot near to the peak of the mountain with their cars next to them.

 

“That fucker did what?” sneered Bakugou Katsuki.

 

“Challenged Izuku to a race, here on Akagi.” replied Kirishima Eijirou. “But he says he doesn’t plan on coming.”

 

“Damn right he better not.” grumbled Katsuki, crossing his arms. “I’m gonna kill Deku if he does.”

 

“So, you’re gonna be racing Fujimi?” asked the red-haired male.

 

“He’s an easy driver to beat.” stated the blond, as if the very driver hadn’t defeated 4 teams in a month. “And I don’t plan on losing.”

 

“... I’m just worried for Shouto, haven’t you noticed?” 

 

“Noticed what?”

 

“He doesn’t seem very confident that he could beat Yoarashi Inasa.” observed the red-haired male. “He’s been looking worried for some reason.”

 

“... half-and-half said that he’s completely different from the guy he beaten last year.” he lit up a cigarette, and took a deep breath from it before puffing out smoke. “He’s been thinking over strategies for his race.”

 

“Do you think… he will lose?”

 

“Not a chance. I know Shouto.” smirked the blond. “Once they start racing; he’s gonna be able to read his opponents like a fucking book-”

 

‘VVRRRRRRRRRRRHH!’

 

Bakugou Katsuki’s red eyes widened when he recognised that very sound - the sound of a certain 4-cylinder engine made by Toyota, and sits under the hood of a certain Eight-Six.

 

“What the fuck?!” he saw the unmistakable AE86 belonging to Midoriya Tofu Shop round the corner, and drive up the hill. “What the fuck is that shitty Deku doing?!”

 

“... I don’t know…” spoke a dumbfounded Kirishima Eijirou. “He said he wouldn’t come…”

 

A white FC coming from the opposite lane from the Trueno stopped and pulled over in the parking lot.

 

“Shouto!” shouted Katsuki as soon as the male stepped out. “Did you see that?!”

 

“Yes.” he answered with a straight face. “I have a feeling that Inasa might have taunted Midoriya to appear on Akagi tonight.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Izuku felt hot - with anger - as he floored the gas pedal of his car all the way up the hill of Akagi after exiting that right-handed hairpin.

 

He just needed a reason to drive - he didn’t care what was the reason. He needed to race; to let off this anger, this frustration.

 

… this feeling of being lied to - this betrayal.

 

The black Mercedes was there - an E-Class, and he clearly saw Ochako receiving a big envelope and keeping it before she got out of the car.

 

And then she was taken into the love hotel by the driver - a man looking to be in his 40s.

 

Izuku nearly cried; but he felt anger take over his body before sadness did - and he drove here, teary-eyed but filled with indignant rage.

 

They had kissed, in this Trueno parked at Lake Haruna - they went on dates in this Trueno, all around Gunma.

 

But it was all a lie.

 

His Eight-Six stopped with a roar as he throttle-blipped into neutral, right across the parked Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III in black, with its driver stood in front of it.

 

He didn’t even catch a single word the other said when he stepped out. He just wanted to race.

 

He just wanted to drive.

 

He just wanted to blow away this frustration - this hopeless feeling.

 

He didn’t care if he crashed tonight.

* * *

 


	30. Countdown To Catastrophe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Does the Eight-Six stand a chance against the Evo III?

* * *

“Deku has no chance of winning this fucking race! We gotta stop it!”

 

“Don’t forget that this is a  _ public _ road, Katsuki.” spoke Todoroki Shouto with utmost firmness. “ _ Anyone _ can use these roads however they like to.”

 

Before the blond could argue further, the sound of squealing tyres grabbed their attention.

 

“Hey, they’ve started the race!” noticed Kirishima Eijirou as engine sounds grew louder. “Here they come!”

 

The leading Toyota blew by with a loud roar, as the chasing Evo III followed suit with loud, explosive sounds as it backfired - unnaturally, while going sideways towards them.

 

‘BAM BAM!’

 

Shouto saw the eyes of the Evo driver staring right at him, as if to tell him that this race is a proof of maturity that he could defeat his FC - by defeating the very same Eight-Six that defeated the White Comet of Akagi.

 

And the two cars dived right into the left-handed hairpin corner guarded with double guardrails, drifting through at an insane speed with loud squeals of tyres.

 

‘BAM BAM BAM!’

 

“That’s… that’s a fucking…” words failed Bakugou Katsuki.

 

“... misfiring system…” finished the FC driver with a frown.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Behind the wheel of the Trueno, Midoriya Izuku drove on instinct and instinct alone - as he had never practiced on Akagi ever before.

 

He looked way ahead of the road, and also looked at where he was driving on, relying on his experience to guide him through the course.

 

Downshifting into second, he heard the annoying misfiring system right behind him when he drifted into the right-handed corner with the guardrails hidden by overgrown bushes.

 

He went right for it with his throttle wide open, trying his best to get away from the Lan-Evo right behind him, pushing him with a harsh pressuring force.

 

“What the- is that Haruna’s Eight-Six?!”

 

“His bumper just took leaves off those bushes!”

 

“Why is that Eight-Six racing tonight?! I didn’t hear anything about a race!”

 

The Sprinter Trueno dashed out of the corner, with the Lancer Evolution trailing right behind its tail less than two metres apart.

 

“It must be a grudge match!”

 

“If the Eight-Six wins this, then the match tomorrow with the RedSuns will mean nothing!”

 

Yoarashi Inasa stepped on the accelerator of his Evo III, depressing it no more than 60% while it sat behind the panda AE86 comfortably.

 

The Eight-Six ahead… it was obvious with the way it moved - no matter how fast they seemed to be going - had no idea of how the roads of Akagi went.

 

The steeper part of the touge was nearly coming to an end; and so will the Trueno’s advantage when they’re driving on the multiple S-shaped curves on gentler slopes - in fact, the flattest part of Akagi.

 

That’s where he’ll make his move.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“What kind of driver is Yoarashi Inasa, Shouto?” came the question from Kirishima Eijirou.

 

“He’s a very logical driver, and cares nothing for flashy moves.” spoke Shouto, as he folded his arms. “He identifies an opponent’s weak spot and exploits it, and is only interested in winning as efficiently as possible - that’s why he drives a 4WD.”

 

“...” no one interrupted the pause made by the red-and-white haired male - who looked uncharacteristically angered.

 

“When up against an opponent of equal skills, he simply tunes his car to the point that will ensure his victory - that’s Yoarashi Inasa.” declared the Todoroki. “He’s the type of driver I dislike the  _ most _ .”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


‘BAM BAM!’

 

The Toyota and Mitsubishi appeared out of the corner right next to each other, with the black Evo III on the left, outer lane.

 

“They’re side-by-side!”

 

“What the-! Nobody has ever challenged the Eight-Six in the corners before!”

 

With the grip the 4WD car was able to handle, along with its misfiring system, Inasa was able to maneuver his Lancer right next to Midoriya Izuku in the midst of an S-shaped road!

 

The road was turning once more, and the inside and outside have swapped around.

 

With a step of the gas pedal and a turn of the steering wheel, the black CE9A took the lead from the AE86 effortlessly!

 

“Tch!” Izuku visibly flared, and dived for the right-hander corner right behind the Lan-Evo at the same speed, following its lead into corners, but charging right into them at a higher speed than the leading car.

 

He will not lose this easily!

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“The Evo took the lead during one of the S-shaped roads, Shouto.” reported a member of the RedSuns through a walkie-talkie.

 

“Inasa’s racing style has come true to form.” huffed the red-and-white haired male. “He could’ve overtook the Eight-Six earlier on, but he waited until his advantage was clearest where the roads were flat.”

 

All three RedSuns members stared at the moving sets of headlights flowing down the mountain pass from the peak - they didn’t seem to be too far apart.

 

“That Deku… he can still take this race, right?” spoke Bakugou Katsuki. “He’ll pull one of his flashy finishing moves, and-”

 

“Katsuki.” interrupted the older male. “You know that this has never been a race to begin with - Midoriya had never stood a chance, not under these circumstances.”

 

“...” the Bakugou sat down on a guardrail.

 

“That Eight-Six… is no longer undefeated.” came the solemn truth out of Todoroki Shouto’s mouth. “He had never practiced on Akagi before, while Inasa had at least a day’s worth of practice here.”

 

In other words, Midoriya Izuku had zero chances of victory - not even with a miracle - not under such circumstances.

 

“... that fucking idiot…!” gritted out Katsuki. “Stupid, shitty Deku!”

 

“When he showed up, he seemed to me to be driving out of anger.” observed Shouto with a frown. “That high-pitched scream of his engine…”

 

‘VVRRRRRRRHH!’ reverberated the sound of the unmistakable 4-AGEU engine far, far away down the hill.

 

“It sounded to me like… howls of adolescent rage.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


He was keeping up.

 

Barely - but he was keeping up!

 

He was braking as late as he could, and drifted his car exactly the way he knew would maximise cornering speed and utilise all four tyres’ grip, inching his way towards the Lancer during the corner entries, and during the corner itself while its bumper nearly scraped against the guardrails; passing by each corner by a hair’s breadth.

 

But that Evo III, it easily pulls away and widens the gap that he worked hard to close up with the simple push of the accelerator pedal out of corners.

 

… that’s the difference in power.

 

‘I’m not pulling away…?’ noticed Inasa when the headlights of the Trueno was still plastered firmly in his mirrors. ‘I’m impressed, in that old junker of a car...’

 

Midoriya Izuku and his Eight-Six were still putting up a fight!

 

When you consider the power differences between the Evo III and the Trueno, the chasing Eight-Six is turning corners way faster than the leading Lancer is.

 

Against that powerful engine equipped with a misfiring system… all Izuku had left to take on the opponent was his lightweight body along with the synchronisation with his partner - the Toyota AE86 which he had driven for five years.

 

It had allowed Izuku to cling on to the back of the CE9A!

 

‘His pace has increased significantly since I overtook him…’ observed Inasa, focusing on the road ahead while glancing into the rear-view mirrors from time to time to gauge the distance between the two cars. ‘I see… he must be following my lead into corners, since he’s not familiar with the course. I’m highly impressed - that takes a skillful driver to pull it off!’

 

Every time the AE86 manages to close up the gap, the Evo III widens it with short bursts of acceleration aided by its use of the anti-lag system - in this twisty section of Akagi, this was how the race went - a dead-heat between the two drivers.

 

But Yoarashi Inasa had already laid down his plans!

 

Unbeknownst to Izuku; the Lancer was driving at a relaxed pace, while the green-haired boy was doing everything he can in his abilities in desperation of keeping up with the powerful car ahead.

 

And in a left-handed hairpin corner leading into a short straightaway on Akagi, Inasa declared his will to win by suddenly changing the pace of his driving.

 

Turning the wheel to the right before swinging the car back to the left for the hairpin corner, he shifted the weight towards the right side of the car and fully pressed down the accelerator for a full-speed 4WD drift through the hairpin curve!

 

The movement of the car ahead was so fast, Izuku had lost sight of the Lancer when it was his turn to enter the corner with a high-speed, reckless drift - downshifting into second gear with his engine screaming out higher than he ever heard.

 

And he floored down the gas pedal, in hopes of seeing that black Evo in his windscreen again - and he did.

 

But it was not what he expected.

 

The Evo III - the powerful, 4WD Evo III - was too far ahead when he left the corner - too far away for him and his powerless Eight-Six to catch up - and was disappearing into the dark night.

 

In his shock, he forgotten to change gears even when his engine begged him to - screaming shakily at 8000 RPM.

 

He failed to notice the climbing temperature gauges.

 

‘BAM!’

 

A loud explosion shook his entire car, and he felt the ripples to his very core as his rear tyres locked up, and the steering wheel jerked wildly, throwing his two hands off the wheel.

 

He was spinning.

 

The only thing he thought of to do was to brake - and he did, by ungracefully stepping down fully on the middle pedal with his right foot, locking up the remaining two tyres that were free.

 

The car was now facing the way they came from, moving backwards as he felt the terrain change underneath his seat to a bumpy, uneven surface - they were on dirt.

 

Right before the car stopped, he felt and heard a bump - the rear bumper had touched the guardrail and stopped them.

 

Smoke began to pour out of the bonnet, and oil spilled - sprayed - out from underneath the hood and covered the white paint of the Eight-Six in dirty, black stains.

 

All the dashboard lights were off and unresponsive.

 

He…

 

He had blown up the engine…

 

The engine of his dear friend… the Eight-Six.

 

He wanted to cry.

* * *

 


	31. Goodbye, Eight-Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midoriya Izuku loses something dear, something precious in his life; but Bakugou Katsuki wasn't having that easily.

* * *

The Eight-Six never looked so... sad before.

 

Midoriya Izuku stood in front of his friend, and looked at it carefully through the dark of the night - with his mind filling in the gaps where his eyes could not see.

 

1983 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX in High-Tech Two-Tone...

 

This was his friend - the friend that took him away from the boredom of his daily life with a turn of a key - the friend that has stuck by his side for five years without any issues.

 

And he had destroyed it in a foolish move of anger.

 

He felt guilt.

 

They always say you never realise how important something was to you until the moment you lose it - this was it.

 

He wiped away his tears when he heard the sound of the Evo’s 4G63T approach him and his dead car before braking with a squeal of tyres.

 

He heard the sound of an electronically-operated window.

 

...

 

“... in the racing world, a blown engine means defeat, Midoriya.” spoke the driver of the Mitsubishi after he rolled down the passenger-side window. “But like I said, this wasn’t a race to begin with - so forget about the loss.”

 

Izuku continued to look at his Toyota - at the still-open, but nonfunctioning pop-up headlights.

 

“No matter how fast you can turn corners, the difference between a fast and a slow car is still too big. I hope you understand that now.” stated Yoarashi Inasa with seriousness. “Why don’t you put the Eight-Six to rest for good, and we’ll race again, when you have a machine capable of competing with my Evo III?”

 

Izuku heard the muffled clicking of gears as the driver of the running car shifted into first gear and drove away with a spin of all four wheels and began climbing back up the hill it had just driven down from.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Todoroki Shouto immediately felt something off when the Evo III appeared out of the corner a little earlier than expected.

 

The downhill run couldn’t have taken such a short time to complete - had something happened?

 

When the black Lancer Evolution pulled to a stop in front of him and the driver stepped out of the car, he asked a simple question.

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

“I did what I planned to do… with that Eight-Six.” responded Inasa, looking at the road leading downhill. “That race; it was just for fun.”

 

“For fun?” Shouto gave a small smirk. “It seemed a little too close, to be ‘just for fun’.”

 

The leader of Emperor frowned visibly; irked by the reply given by the leader of the RedSuns.

 

“Well, it wasn’t like it was any fun at all.” stated the black-haired male. “The Eight-Six blew up its engine before the fun could start.”

 

The three RedSuns members stood across the Evo III were all taken aback.

 

“He blew up his fucking engine?!” shouted Bakugou Katsuki. “That fucking idiot!”

 

The fiery blond then fished for his car keys from his pocket and gotten into the unlocked driver’s door of his yellow FD3S, turned the ignition and peeled out of the parking lot and began to race down the hill of Akagi while the headlights flipped open on its way out.

 

The taillights of the FD disappeared, hidden by the hairpin corner.

 

The red-and-white haired male then turned his attention back to the black-haired male stood in front of him who had began getting back into his car.

 

“Todoroki Shouto.” called out the leader of Emperor. “You saw what happened here today. Tomorrow, I’ll be defeating you!”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“The Eight-Six lost?!”

 

“I heard the guys down there saw smoke coming out from the car, he must’ve blown the engine.”

 

“That doesn’t sound good…”

 

That was what Fujimi Romero had heard.

 

The Toyota Sprinter Trueno driven by Midoriya Izuku had finally lost to the hands of team Emperor and its leader Yoarashi Inasa - but somehow; he wasn’t satisfied.

 

Why?

 

Was he really expecting that Eight-Six, under those circumstances, to pull off a finishing move and overtake the Evo III?

 

The strange thing is - he definitely was; he had witnessed the amazing things that AE86 could do firsthand during their race on Haruna, and he definitely expected more great things to come out of that car and its driver.

 

To lose, and to lose with a blown engine - it had brought the reality of the car being an underpowered, mere Eight-Six back down into the ground of the earth - no matter how well it drove, or cornered.

 

It was just an Eight-Six, but why did it had such kinds of effects on him?

 

Not only him, but the rest of Gunma locals on Akagi that night grieved the loss of the legendary Haruna’s Eight-Six; the very car and driver who had given their entire racing scene hope and excitement, and now had fallen to the hands of an outsider.

 

The High-Tech Two-Tone 1983 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX, who turned and drifted corners like no other car did with its amazing speed and charisma, had fallen.

 

If the RedSuns lost their match the next day, it would have meant that everything they - the Gunma locals - believed in was nothing but a sick joke.

 

The pressure was now all on the RedSuns - all on Todoroki Shouto and Bakugou Katsuki.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


All Izuku could hear in the driver’s seat of his deceased Trueno, was the sound of dripping liquids and the crackling sound of metals underneath the hood of the car - which he still hasn’t opened up; because he was scared to see what was now underneath the bonnet.

 

‘HHRRRRRRRRH!’

 

He perked up with his attention on edge when the sound of a familiar, 13B twin-turbocharged rotary engine of a third-generation RX-7 had began to made its way towards him.

 

The road ahead of him grew brighter with the illumination of fast-moving headlights, and soon; the sight of the familiar 1996 A-Spec FD3S in Competition Yellow Mica greeted him - comforted him.

 

Kacchan’s FD3S.

 

And the yellow Mazda sports car pulled to a stop right next to him, before the blond-haired male got out of the car and closed the door shut.

 

Katsuki walked up to the driver’s door of the Eight-Six, which was unlocked.

 

“Deku.” spoke the male after he opened up the driver’s door of his Trueno. “... what the hell were you thinking?”

 

He felt a sudden overwhelm of emotions rush over him - Bakugou Katsuki - Kacchan; the friend he thought he’d lost a long time ago, was still here, right in front of him.

 

It meant hope for the resurrection of his AE86 - one day.

 

“Wha-! Deku-?” sputtered the blond male when the green-haired boy pulled him into a hug with tears freely escaping his eyes. “?!”

 

“Kacchan… you’re here…” sobbed Izuku. “Don’t leave…”

 

...

 

“Don’t leave!” sobbed a 10-year-old Midoriya Izuku, hugging him tightly as if he was the most important thing in the world. “Kacchan, please!”

 

“I can’t, I have to go, Deku.”

 

“Kacchan!”

 

...

 

He recognised those eyes - the large green eyes of the boy he called Deku, when he had lost something dear to him.

 

… perhaps not only just one thing...

 

So he stayed.

 

He had no idea how long they stayed like that, with the blond male awkwardly positioned between the door of the car and Deku, but it certainly hasn’t been comfortable at all.

 

“Hey, Deku.” he broke the silence.

 

“... yes?”

 

“Let go of me, I’ll get you a recovery truck.”

 

Reluctantly, the boy let go of the warmth that the blond’s body provided that filled the gaping hole in his heart.

 

“Don’t leave, Deku.” ordered the blond as he gotten back into his FD and drove off.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The lone phone on the wall rang in the Midoriya’s shophouse for a long time, but no one came to pick up the phone.

 

The house was empty - Inko was still at work at the local restaurant, and Izuku was still on Akagi, grieving his dead Eight-Six.

 

The leaky tap in the shop area dripped water, drop by drop into the filling bucket.

 

Uraraka Ochako’s phone call went unanswered.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Almost an hour later, Midoriya Izuku finally had the guts to open up the hood of the Trueno to see what damages had been done.

 

And he almost wished he hadn’t.

 

Because the engine was completely shot with any hopes of repairing it completely gone.

 

This 4-AGEU had seen the last of its days - there was a huge, huge hole in the engine block caused by a thrown rod - the pin that had connected the crankshaft and the connecting rod had snapped; and had let loose the rod to punch a hole from the inside - writing off the entire engine.

 

… he would have to get another engine - another inline-4 - to swap it into the Eight-Six - but he didn’t have the engine, or the money…

 

… this car would be dead for a long time...

 

Before he could go deeper into his destructive thoughts, the sound of a diesel engine approaching had snapped him out of it - so he closed the hood of the Eight-Six, afraid that people might see what he had done to it exactly.

 

Someone was coming - an Isuzu ELF recovery truck…

 

And Kacchan was driving it…?

 

“Stop dazing around and let’s get your car towed.” grumbled Bakugou Katsuki after he stopped the truck and climbed out of the cab.

 

“... sure.”

 

And so the two males got to work to get the broken-down AE86 onto the back of the recovery truck, mounting it onto the ramp and securing it down with chains on the tyres.

 

“Give me an address to tow the car to; or I’ll bring it back to my workshop.”

 

“... Kacchan has a workshop...?”

 

“Tch. Not the point.” he started up the diesel engine.

 

“... it’s in Shibukawa… All-Might Automobile…”

 

It had been a long, silent drive to the workshop located in an industrial district, and the still-awake Yagi Toshinori took the car from them without a word - and Izuku couldn’t help but feel guiltier when he watched the garage door roll down to a shut.

 

“You need a lift home?” asked the blond. “Get back in, Deku. I know where you live.”

 

“... Kacchan… Thank you.”

 

Bakugou Katsuki could tell that the green-haired boy was still blaming himself for the destruction of the 4-AGE engine even when they pulled to a stop outside the Midoriya Tofu Shop - but the fact was Toyota’s engines were all a little prone to wear at high revs.

 

He said one last thing - a promise - before he left, after the boy gotten out of the truck cab.

 

“Tonight’s race - I don’t recognise the loss.” declared the blond, speaking without eye-contact.. “The RedSuns - Shouto and I - we’ll avenge you and your Eight-Six - we’ll knock team Emperor down.”

 

Then the Isuzu drove away.

* * *

 


	32. For Deku's Eight-Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He promised to avenge; and he shall. Bakugou Katsuki will race for the sake and honour of Izuku and his AE86.

* * *

Izuku couldn’t sleep at all last night - his mind kept him up; repeating the sight, the sounds, the feelings, when the engine of the AE86 thrown a rod and blown up.

 

It was so stupid - and the same questions kept popping up in his head even when he was in the classrooms, making him not able to focus on any topic discussed in school.

 

Why did he go to Akagi yesterday? Why hadn’t he just stayed at home? Why didn’t he just ignored that phone call - like he did with that piece of paper?

 

He knows the Eight-Six can’t be repaired now.

 

“Hey Izuku!” called out Kaminari Denki. “Are you going to watch the race tonight?”

 

“... I don’t know…” Izuku responded - hadn’t Denki found out yet?

 

“C’mon, it’s gonna be a race to remember!” smiled the yellow-haired boy. “We can even go in your Eight-Six, if you want-”

 

“No, I’m not going.”

 

And the green-haired boy suddenly walked off, to go home as today was his off-day - leaving a confused Kaminari Denki behind.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Izuku did what?” gasped Kaminari Denki after he learnt about the incident last night. “Shit, I- I didn’t know! I even asked him out tonight to drive us there in the Eight-Six…”

 

“Don’t blame yourself - you didn’t know. But, it must be a huge shock to Izuku.” stated Eijirou solemnly. “I guess he really needs his own space right now, so let’s not bother him.”

 

“I guess… watching other people race when he couldn’t… that must suck…”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Night quickly caught up - and the tension on the hill of Akagi was through the roof, with speculations, and what the results of the race will mean for the future of Gunma’s street-racing scene.

 

And let’s not forget, the recently defeated Haruna’s Eight-Six - with the blown engine.

 

“Have you heard what happened here last night?”

 

“Yeah… the Eight-Six blown up its engine against the Evo III… the power difference must be too huge.”

 

“When I heard about it… I realised that even the RedSuns might not be able to win the races tonight…”

 

The spectators of Akagi of mostly Gunma locals, had a depressed aura upon it - because the Symbol of Hope had fallen - that Toyota AE86, which was everything that Gunma’s street-racers and enthusiasts hoped and dreamed to see; had been defeated.

 

So, all the street-racers, and everyone concerned was there on Akagi that night, to cheer on the RedSuns - putting all differences aside as that night, Bakugou Katsuki and Todoroki Shouto were the heroes of Gunma.

 

“So… do you think they can win?” asked Tokoyami Fumikage towards his teammate.

 

They were stood at the second corner of the hillclimb - the second-last corner in the downhill.

 

“They have to.” came the response from the EG6 driver. “They’re Gunma’s last line of defense.”

 

If the RedSuns lost their races tonight, Gunma’s reputation would be tarnished.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Yeah, hello?”

 

“Denki… um…” trailed off the voice of Midoriya Izuku. “Can you come pick me up? I… I want to go watch the race tonight.”

 

“... sure! No problem! Are you at home?”

 

“... yeah.”

 

Kaminari Denki wondered what made the green-haired boy change his mind - and the simple truth was that it was the blond’s promise that made him wanted to go.

 

He took one last look at the empty, parking space beside his house before he entered the Nissan.

 

The promise that the race was dedicated to him - so he must attend it.

 

Kacchan was racing for him.

 

And he kept that in mind, even when he was riding in the passenger seat of his friend and colleague’s yellow S13 Silvia on the upslope road leading into Akagi after entering from Maebashi.

 

He noticed the set of rectangular headlights rapidly closing in on them flashing in the rear-view mirror - it must be a spectator rushing to get a spot to watch the race from.

 

“Hey, Denki…” called out Izuku when the car behind tailgated them. “You might wanna move, that car’s trying to pass us.”

 

The yellow-haired boy groaned, but moved his car further to the left to allow the car behind to pass.

 

“I wonder what car is it-”

 

Denki’s question was interrupted by the sound of a blow-off valve when the white-and-black car next to them upshifted, and overtook them in an instant while crossing the centre line briefly.

 

Midoriya Izuku instantly recognised the model of car - an AE86!

 

An 1983 model of Corolla Levin in High-Tech Two-Tone, the exact same scheme of colours on the Midoriya’s Trueno, and equipped with a ducktail spoiler on the bootlid.

 

“An Eight-Six Levin?!” gasped Denki as he kept his foot on the gas pedal. “That car is too fast!”

 

The straight-line acceleration made the horsepower rating clear to Izuku - around 280 horses was under the hood of that car.

 

The sound of a 4-AGE… with an underlying turbo spool.

 

“... a turbocharged Levin…”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


At the peak of Akagi...

 

“An Eight-Six?! Is it Haruna’s?”

 

“Idiot, that’s a Levin! And it has Saitama number-plates - use your eyes!”

 

The panda Corolla Levin turned quickly into a dirt path and parked without any hesitation before the driver killed the engine.

 

The driver’s door opened - revealing a male with flared out, purple hair sticking out in tufts.

 

He closed the door shut gently with care, before moving towards a certain spot and stood silently, waiting for the uphill battle to begin.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The yellow FD3S of the RedSuns and the white CN9A of the Emperor were positioned on the starting line at the foot of the hill.

 

Bakugou Katsuki hated that Evo IV guy - Fujimi Romero - acting like a big boss when in actual fact, was nothing more than a driver he could beat with his eyes shut.

 

He didn’t even look at the Evo when the countdown started - he already knew what he had to do.

 

These guys had no chance against him on Akagi - he has driven this course more times than he could count, and for nearly three years.

 

This was his training grounds! He’d be damned if anyone won against him here.

 

He revved his engine towards the 5000 RPM mark and kept it around there.

 

“GO!”

 

Tyres squealed out with two powerful engines propelling the two cars forward, and the 4WD Lan-Evo with the advantage of grip took the lead immediately as they sped into the gentle right-hander.

 

Good - the first step was laid down - now all he had to do was trail behind and wait for his moment to make his move.

 

Revving his engine at 7800 RPM in second gear and utilising its merits, Katsuki followed the leading Evo’s pace into the mid-speed, left-handed hairpin curve with a gentle, well-controlled tailslide.

 

The two cars left the corner with a backfire as the two drivers upshifted into third gear to briefly go beyond 100 km/h before they had to brake once more.

 

Bakugou Katsuki, with his training these past few months braking without the use of ABS, had instantly made up the differences in grip advantages and caught up to the Lan-Evo before downshifting into second for the right-handed hairpin.

 

He drifted his car into the corner smoothly, as he kept his eyes observing the way the Scotia White Mitsubishi drove ahead - 4WD drift at full acceleration while they raced out of the corner.

 

That Lancer - he exits the corner too wide… due to its central differential…?

 

He smirked.

 

This was too easy. There was no need to wait - he could overtake now and still win this race.

 

In fact, if the hillclimb race dragged on; the 4WD would have more advantage with tyre lifespan.

 

So he went for it - the blond floored the gas and kept in his line where he exited the corner closer to the inside for the immediate next left-hairpin, and positioned his yellow FD next to the CN9A.

 

He was in the line to maximise exit speed for the short straight that follows!

 

Tapping on the brakes to cut off a little excess speed from his car, the Evo steered into the left-handed corner and went wide, leaving a car’s space on the inside of the corner.

 

Bakugou Katsuki gently stepped on the accelerator, and the wankel sung out at 7700 RPM in second gear as the rear tyres were gently led to grip firmly onto the ground as the car moved into position with skillful turns of the wheel.

 

He crossed the line of the wide-turning Evo, taking the inside and exited the corner half-a-car ahead, with his FD faster out of the corner.

 

The two drivers floored the gas out of the corner and shifted into third gear.

 

‘This is it.’ smirked Katsuki as they began to brake for the next series of hairpins.

 

Downshifting with a heel-and-toe, his engine roared out high as he fearlessly drifted into the corner, using his front bumper to block the other car while accelerating, with the RX-7 inching forward every step of the way.

 

And the yellow FR car fully overtook the 4WD when during the corner, and the now-leading Katsuki reverse-drifted with gentle throttling to control the car smoothly and quickly through the turn with the Evo IV behind it.

 

Now that the Competition Yellow Mica FD3S was in the lead, there was no chance for Fujimi Romero to retake it - as once they got their momentum going, the drivetrain differences in the two cars were minimised by the difference in skill and power.

 

The RX-7 was more powerful than the Lancer Evolution for the high-speed section with 50 more horses, and its driver was more skilled in his techniques.

 

This race was Bakugou Katsuki’s win.

 

Minutes later, the RedSuns’s victory on the hillclimb race with a new course record was announced through the walkie-talkies, and Gunma racers and car lovers celebrated the win of their hero.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> p.s. Hap Borth Kacchan! <3


	33. Clash Of Ideals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The difference in ideals that caused conflict a year ago needs to be settled.

* * *

“Todoroki Shouto…” called out the leader of team Emperor before the downhill race began. “Any last words before I take you off your high horse?”

 

“... nothing much.” came the reply with a neutral, but serious expression. “We both know what’s at stake here - soon, we’ll know who’s the better driver, and who’s right.”

 

The spectators of Akagi waited restlessly for the downhill race of high tension to start - because Yoarashi Inasa’s abilities against Todoroki Shouto still needed to be verified and seen by the audience.

 

Can Inasa, who defeated Gunma’s top downhiller, be stopped by Todoroki Shouto - the man who had his winning streak ended by the Eight-Six?

 

This race will settle everything the locals needed to know - if their top drivers in the prefecture are really as strong as they think, or are they just being lied to?

 

Black and white lined up on the starting line - putting their skills and beliefs on the line.

 

Giving one last look at the driver in the white FC3S on his right, Bakugou Katsuki raised his arm up for the count-off.

 

“IN FIVE!”

 

“FOUR!”

 

“THREE!”

 

“TWO!”

 

“ONE!”

 

“GO!”

 

And the two cars set off with a squeal of tyres with an unexpected twist - the two cars were side-by-side!

 

The Evo III, which should have been faster off the starting line, left the starting line at the exact same speed as the FC3S!

 

Todoroki Shouto’s usual strategy of trailing behind… was gone.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


‘Get ready to lose.’ thought Inasa as they went into a gentle left-hander with the FC on the inside of the corner. ‘I have tested this simulation against the Eight-Six yesterday… and today is your turn!’

 

He eased off the gas just a little, and it allowed the Crystal White RX-7 to inch ahead and take the lead, with Shouto taking them both into the first left-hander hairpin corner after a gentle right.

 

He braked and downshifted from fourth gear into second, following the pace into the left-hander right behind the Mazda.

 

‘BAM BAM BAM!’ shot the misfiring system.

 

The RX-7 was under perfect control - drifting at an angle so slight you’d think it was gripping, and countersteering so little you’d think the wheels were pointed straight, while it edged so close to the inside of the road it nearly dropped into the gentle drainage ditch before going wide to exit the corner with its tail nearly grazing the guardrails.

 

That rear view of that FC, moving elegantly and swiftly, flowing through corners like water - it had haunted him for nearly a year until he realised he had nothing to fear.

 

Zero-countersteer drift grazing by the overgrown bushes, nearly touching the guardrails… Todoroki Shouto was impressive in his Mazda - all his moves were perfect to a T.

 

But that’s exactly what he doesn’t understand - that’s exactly what caused their conflict.

 

All the moves pulled by the leading FC, they’re techniques you would see on the professional race circuits, used by pro-level racers.

 

This race… all his beliefs were riding on it - and he remembered the exact words Todoroki Shouto said to him last year.

 

It was early summer in Tochigi.

 

“Believe what you want, Inasa.” the man said sternly, standing in front of his Mazda after defeating him on Irohazaka - Emperor’s home course. “But street-racing takes a special set of skills that you cannot acquire from the circuits.”

 

“You don’t understand, Shouto.” frowned the man standing in front of the black Evo III. “Track racing and street-racing… they use the same sets of skills! Surely the only goal, is to reach the ultimate speed!”

 

“... I won’t waste my time debating with you. You can run your mouth until you’re blue in the face - and your words will still mean nothing to me.” Todoroki Shouto opened the driver’s door to his FC3S, turning to leave. “The only way to prove that your theory is right compared to mine; is to defeat me on the mountain roads.”

 

“... remember your own words, Todoroki Shouto.” spoke the indignant and enraged Yoarashi before the male could get into his car. “We’ll race once more… and then I’ll make you eat your own words!”

 

‘BAM BAM!’

 

He downshifted with a clutch-kick into second gear, and dived right after the white Mazda into the hairpin-right with a drift.

 

After this series of low-speed hairpin corners on the steep sloped section of Akagi - he’d make his move.

 

He stepped on the gas out of the corner.

 

That’s where his 4WD with the anti-lag system would be most advantageous against that FR!

 

As soon as he floored the accelerator out of the final left-handed hairpin of the low-speed section to enter the S-shaped roads; he knew and felt what was about to come.

 

The flash on his left-side mirrors told him all he needed to know - the Evo III was going to make its move!

 

Although he had expected this… the acceleration of that Mitsubishi was still scary to witness firsthand - the way it pulled up alongside him with ease, even when its on the outer lane…

 

The roads were turning once more and switching into a left-hander - inside and outside were getting swapped around.

 

“Tch!” grimaced Shouto as the Evo III blew right by him with a burst of acceleration.

 

He kept his foot on the gas, and dived right behind the Lancer for better air and line.

 

He braked for the left-hander leading into a hairpin-right, downshifting into second gear before drifting into the corner and exiting it close to the inside, before swinging his car around to take the hairpin.

 

He gained on the entry, but was left behind easily on the exits, even though he had nearly grazed the rear bumper of that car.

 

Yoarashi Inasa… he perfected that Evo III for street-racing - and it completely beats his FC accelerating at a lower gear.

 

That car… it was truly deserving to be called the Whirlwind of Irohazaka - with the way it turned and accelerated.

 

He’d have to make his move at a high-speed corner…

 

He shifted into third.

 

Or…

 

That Evo III… had revealed a thing or two to him last night when racing the Eight-Six!

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“The downhill race’s started, Izuku.” smiled Kirishima Eijirou towards the boy. “How do you feel so far?”

 

They were stood at the second-last corner for the downhill race - and they saw the NightKids racers at the opposite side of the road.

 

“... I’m amazed…” came the response, although a little dejected. “Kacchan smashed the previous hillclimb record, didn’t he?”

 

“Yeah… he also said he’d come down the hill to pick you up after the downhill race, so don’t leave with us.”

 

“... ah.”

 

“Anyway, Shouto’s gonna defeat the Evo III, just you watch!”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Nighteye! Inko gave the thumbs-up; we can get started now.” said Yagi Toshinori after he hung up the wall phone.

 

“I hope you know what you’re doing, putting this into an Eight-Six…” said Nighteye. “Even though it belonged to Hisashi…”

 

The two males stared at the Toyota Sprinter Trueno; with its hood removed and its engine bay cleaned up and free of an engine and waiting for a new one.

 

The silver-coloured engine, with a dry-sump oil system, was hooked on the hoist and ready for to fill in the missing A in the AE86.

 

“Let’s give the boy a power-up.” smiled the old blond.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The two cars dashed out of the right-handed hairpin corner at a blinding speed; with their headlights flashing by quickly, before diving right into the slow left-hander.

 

The nose of the FC3S chasing the CE9A went dangerously close to the guardrail-

 

‘T-THUK! T-THUK!’

 

-and scraped by it before accelerating out of the corner right behind the Lan-Evo.

 

“Did you see that?! Did Shouto-san make a mistake?” asked a second-string RedSuns racer.

 

“No, it wasn’t a mistake - look.” Iida Tenya raised up the stopwatch for the other to see. “He did that on purpose in order to keep up with the Evo III.”

 

The tap on the guardrails, was to force some friction against the nose to turn the car sharper in the low-speed corner.

 

“... then Yoarashi Inasa is really that fast, huh…?”

 

“But Shouto hasn’t lost his touch either - although he hasn’t raced in months…!”

 

The two cars sped down the short straightaway before they had to brake again for a right-handed hairpin.

 

Shouto sent his car charging into the corner, and he made a small, satisfied smile appear on his face for the first time in that race as he closed up the gap.

 

The Evo III was hugging the wall, and looked to be going fast, but…!

 

‘... just like I thought…!’

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


‘We’re almost to the finish… and he still hasn’t tried anything…?’ the Emperor driver glanced into the rear-view mirror, watching the FC3S chasing his car at a fixed distance. ‘Has he given up?’

 

Braking and steering into a right-hander hairpin, he fully accelerated to execute a full-speed, 4WD drift.

 

And moments later, he chuckled at the absurd thought of Todoroki Shouto giving up the race.

 

‘Not a chance he will… but come at me anytime! My tyres are still gripping well!’

 

Inasa stomped on the accelerator pedal out of the corner, and swung his car into a left-handed drift.

 

The white RX-7’s retractable headlights  _ suddenly _ grew a threatening edge, and he felt a sudden tension in the air the closer they got to the finish line -  _ why?!  _

 

He was the one in the advantageous position!

 

‘This thrill; it’s incredible…!’ thought Shouto as he exited the corner right behind the Evo III. ‘If I even just blink, I’ll miss my opportunity!’

 

He shifted into third gear after his 13B roared towards the 8000 RPM mark.

 

‘I bet you’re wondering why I haven’t made my move, Inasa…’ smirked Todoroki Shouto as the leading Evo positioned itself right on the centre of the road. ‘I have been saving my tyres to deal you a death blow at exactly the right moment!’

 

His mismatched eyes grew serious when it was time to strike, flooring down the right-most pedal while steering his car for the outside line into the long right-hander hairpin, squeezing into the barely-car-width gap left by the Lancer!

 

He braked and downshifted into second while steering to the right, and his engine screamed out its  _ will _ to  _ win _ !

 

“The FC is attacking from the outside?!” screamed an audience, watching the Mazda’s nose reach ahead of the CE9A.

 

“GO, TODOROKI SHOUTO!”

 

The white RX-7 took the corner sharply and inched ahead of the Evo III, while its driver stepped on the gas smartly to execute a  _ brilliant _ move - trapping the Mitsubishi within a tight space with its front bumper while drifting through the corner!

 

‘Your issue is: you never gotten rid of your fear of right turns! To put it bluntly - Yoarashi Inasa - you  _ suck _ at turning right!’

 

‘Todoroki Shouto…! You  _ bastard _ !’

 

The angered driver of the black Mitsubishi felt claustrophobic as his foot was forced at half-pedal - all his power, his misfiring system, and his 4WD traction were all made  _ useless _ as the FC blocked his line!

 

He was nothing but a sitting duck behind that Mazda!

 

With the RX-7’s well-heated tyres’s grip fully utilised for the first time, the white car inched ahead, bit by bit as it drifted through the corner while blocking the Lancer!

 

Shouto floored the accelerator as they left the corner while his Mazda straightened up, roaring a tune of  _ victory _ !

 

He was just slightly ahead of the Evo now, but he was going to take the inside for the next turn - a gentle left!

 

7700- 7800- 7900- 8000 RPM!

 

Shifting into third gear, he floored down his gas pedal as soon and as hard as he could, and his 13B worked for him - pulling them ahead of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III!

 

“HE TOOK THE LEAD! HE- TODO- I CAN’T EVEN-”

 

“IT’S VICTORY FOR GUNMA!”

 

Like the uphill race, the downhill time record was also broken by the RedSuns themselves.

 

The invasion of team Emperor in the Gunma prefecture was officially over - stopped by the original undefeated legend himself.

* * *

 


	34. Truth Hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes the truth is the simplest answer. And sometimes; it hurt to know.

* * *

“Todoroki Shouto…” spoke Yoarashi Inasa after the match, and after all tension on the hill of Akagi had dissipated that night. “I want to ask you a question.”

 

The red-and-white haired male stood silently while attentive, so the black-haired male took that as his cue to ask the question he desperately needed answer to.

 

“... why can’t I defeat you...? Please tell me the difference between our driving…!”

 

“Inasa. The truth is that there are no issues in your driving-”

 

“Don’t pity me, and just tell me why!”

 

“... I’m simply saying that this has nothing to do with your technical abilities as a driver.” stated the Mazda driver. “You’re passionate about racing, and practice on the circuits, gymkhana, and your home course, but that’s exactly the reason why you haven’t learnt the skill needed to street-race properly.”

 

“... what is the reason?”

 

“Your home course - Irohazaka, and the gymkhanas you drive - you never have to deal with oncoming traffic, right?”

 

Todoroki Shouto was right.

 

“You hesitate sometimes on right-handers, racing on a road with two lanes such as Akagi when driving on the inside of the road if you cannot see the road ahead. But that is all - it is a mental strength and experience you have to build up. A skilled street-racer can drive at their 100% in the oncoming lane without hesitation because of the repeated exposure to this terror.

 

Do you get it? The difference between us is that; you’re a motorsports driver - you never have to deal with oncoming traffic!”

 

Oncoming traffic…

 

His fists clenched tight.

 

“And another thing is; I learnt that after your race against the Eight-Six yesterday.” continued the red-and-white haired male. “When you attacked, you always positioned your car to the left side of the road, which was a major tip-off for your fear of incoming traffic.”

 

He opened the driver’s door of his Crystal White Savanna RX-7 infini.

 

“If you hadn’t raced Midoriya Izuku and his Eight-Six yesterday, I could’ve lost to you today.”

 

A year’s worth of hard work all down the drain, because of the overlooking of a small; simple detail...

 

And the white FC3S of Todoroki Shouto started up, and drove out onto the main road to go back to the peak - and Inasa watched the taillights of that car disappear after it got hidden by the mountain wall, with a new light of respect on it.

 

Todoroki Shouto… that guy has ‘street charisma’.

  


* * *

 

  


A few members of the audience wondered exactly why the driver of Haruna’s Eight-Six was getting into the passenger seat of the yellow FD3S.

 

“... why did you pick me up, Kacchan?” asked Midoriya Izuku, as he sat in the passenger seat of the yellow RX-7 moving downhill at a relaxed, but quick pace.

 

Bakugou Katsuki looked relaxed on the driver’s seat, moving his muscles in little tiny movements that had the car confidently under control.

 

“Nothing special.” came the reply, as he steered his car into the left lane. The road ahead gotten abnormally bright with reflectors glowing - the sign of oncoming traffic. “Just wanted to catch up… and ask a few things.”

 

The FD going downhill and the FC going uphill passed by each other.

 

“You were amazing, Kacchan.” said Izuku, as he looked out the window. “Breaking the time record like that…”

 

The blond huffed.

 

“The previous time records mean nothing - they’re just benchmarks set for RedSuns team members. We’re not risking a crash just to set a stupid time record.”

 

“... but still… you’ve improved, Kacchan...”

 

“Have you eaten yet?”

 

“No…”

 

“Then we’ll fucking eat.”

  


* * *

 

  


On the hill of Haruna, a certain old man was driving a certain old car up the roads.

 

And he stopped it in front of two other men.

 

“So, how is it?” asked Nighteye.

 

“It drives okay for now… but this car; it’s dangerous.” responded All-Might. “I couldn’t push it too hard, because my legs cannot support the forces acting on my body with these factory seats.”

 

“It’s that good of an engine… huh.” huffed Aizawa Shouta. “Well, I’d say why don’t you just leave it as it is, and let Izuku set up the car himself?”

 

“... that boy will need to find his own missing parts - we’re lacking the tachometer, and the oil gauges.” said Nighteye. “It’ll take about a month for the parts to come in if we order it.”

 

“We’ll see what we can do first.” agreed the old blond. “But for now, let’s put in a bucket seat before Izuku or me lose our legs driving this thing.”

 

“Let me take it for a spin, old man.” drawled Aizawa Shouta; unamused. “Then maybe more work will be done tonight.”

 

The blond sighed.

 

“Fine… but watch your legs - I’m serious.”

  


* * *

 

  


“What made you go to Akagi yesterday?”

 

That was the first question Bakugou Katsuki bombarded him with the moment they sat down at a table in Family’s Cafe - driving all the way to Shibukawa.

 

“I… rather not talk about it.”

 

“Tch. Fine.” grumbled the blond, shoving a menu into his hands. “Order something.”

 

The Midoriya boy briefly wondered if the cafe still served Katsudon at supper times.

 

A few minutes later, the waitress left with the two’s orders.

 

“What’s gonna happen to your Eight-Six?” asked the blond.

 

“I don’t know… I haven’t seen it since yesterday.” replied the green-haired boy. “But the engine’s completely shot… I might have to get another one.”

 

“Another engine, huh…” trailed off the Bakugou, before seemingly remembering something. “I heard of a strange 4-cylinder engine hitting a small shop in Shibukawa recently, try looking for it.”

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

“... it was so stupid, Kacchan…” came the weak voice. “I shouldn’t have went out at all yesterday… shouldn’t have…”

 

And the tears began to fall - the floodgates have opened up.

 

“This girl… she dated me and-” he took a breath of air. “She was seeing a sugar daddy…!”

 

The blond’s eyebrows furrowed as a not-so-pleasant term went through his mind.

 

“Break up with her.” said Katsuki. “Someone like that is not worth your time.”

 

“... I think that’s for the best, Kacchan.”

 

Soon their food arrived, with both of them eating while catching up on lost time properly for once since the time they’ve first met again on Haruna.

 

Katsuki found out that Izuku had been driving since 13 with a water cup in the cupholder, and that he was going to graduate high school soon.

 

Izuku found out that Kacchan runs a small workshop in Maebashi, and that no one has ever sat in his FD as a passenger before other than him.

 

Kacchan also shared that he had been tasked to be doing some special training of driving to match times on the up and downhill of Akagi by Todoroki Shouto - and it was absurdly hard to get a good time.

 

The thing was - the benchmark times he had to match were not fast. They were average - the hard part was pacing his runs to match the times, depending on weather, traffic, road conditions and so on.

 

Before they knew it, they had finished eating and Izuku was chauffeured home in Katsuki’s FD.

  


* * *

 

  


Another morning, and another delivery had to be done in the rental-

 

Wait.

 

The low rumble of an unfamiliar engine sound… was right outside the door?

 

Izuku rushed out of the house.

 

And he was greeted with the sight of his Eight-Six parked right outside on the street, idling with a new sound.

 

1983 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX in High-Tech Two-Tone.

 

It was here!

 

“I’ve been waiting for you, Izuku.” spoke the voice of Yagi Toshinori.

 

“Uncle?!”

 

“First of all; we need to talk about something - this car.” said the old blond who was leaning against the walls of the shophouse. “The money that was used to fix it - was yours.”

 

“Wait- what?” Izuku’s eyes widened. His money was used to pay for the repairs? “When- how did you get my money?”

 

“Your mother. She had a savings account in your name for all the deliveries you made to the hotel since you began driving.” smiled the owner of All-Might Automobile. “And also, I’ve transferred the car ownership to you.”

 

The… the Eight-Six… was his…?

 

“So from now on; you’d have to pay the taxes for the car.” stated the blond before gesturing towards the idling car. “The new engine - would you like to take a look?”

 

He can’t wait.

 

And when the bonnet of the AE86 was popped open and the engine was revealed out in the open; he almost screamed.

 

It was an updated 4-AGE engine. Toyota’s engine used in newer AE models - the AE101 - without tuning; they should produce around 160 HP stock - and this particular engine certainly didn’t look stock at all - it was heavily modified.

 

He couldn’t wait to drive the car - but that’s the first weird thing he noticed when he opened up the driver’s door and was greeted with the sight of a bucket seat.

 

Why the need for a bucket seat?

 

“The tofu’s loaded.” stated Toshinori. “Get to delivering, young Izuku!”

 

The seat was lower. The steering wheel felt heavier. The clutch pedal also felt heavier.

 

And he couldn’t describe this weird feeling when he released the clutch while stepping onto the accelerator in first gear.

 

… something’s not right with the car - or at least; something was very weird about the engine…!

* * *

 


	35. Power Struggle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The revived Eight-Six was something else - an unfamiliar being.

* * *

Midoriya Izuku didn’t like the new, ‘improved’ AE86 at all.

 

It drove weird; was hard to control, and was… slower than his previous car - or at least, it certainly felt that way.

 

After his third run down Mount Haruna that morning, he decided to stop and investigate under the hood of the car for the second time - it couldn’t be that complicated, right?

 

But what he saw under the hood confused him further - 4-AGE 20-valve 1.6-litre engine, that is supposed to produce _at least_ 160 horsepower.

 

He had never seen this kind of tuning before… all these wires going everywhere, and a carburettor was also here; for some strange reason.

 

He didn’t understand a single thing going on in here - none of his knowledge saved him.

 

He didn’t like his new AE86 at all - this new A filling in the A in his AE86 was… weird, strange - and perhaps defective!

 

* * *

 

 

It was night time on the recently-busy hill of Akagi.

 

“You better put up a warning reflector on the road…” spoke the passenger of the crashed 180SX on Akagi, blocking a little more than half of the road. “I’d _hate_ for someone to crash into us on a full-speed run.”

 

The front bumper was firmly knocked into the guardrail; leaving an ugly wrinkled metal on the front-end of the white Nissan.

 

“Yeah… I guess you’re right…” spoke the driver of the crashed car as he popped the boot-lid dejectedly. “Man, this _sucks_ …”

 

“You find it?”

 

“I dunno; can you help me look for it?”

 

* * *

 

 

A few minutes earlier, two particular RedSuns members were at the peak of the mountain with their red and yellow cars idling next to where they stood.

 

“Izuku said his uncle fixed the Eight-Six and swapped in a new engine.” spoke Kirishima Eijirou. “But he said the car felt less powerful.”

 

“Hah? Less powerful?” Katsuki raised an eyebrow incredulously, nearly dropping his cigarette. “His old Eight-Six already barely made 150 horses; what kind of engine was it?”

 

“He said it was an 4-AG that is used in AE101 models.” responded the red-haired male. “Which was weird.”

 

“... fucking right, that’s weird as hell.” agreed the blond-haired male. “That engine should be more powerful than his old one, at least by a little… maybe it’s defective or something?”

 

“I dunno…”

 

“Excuse me.” spoke a new voice, breaking the flow of their conversation. The purple-haired stranger pointed at Katsuki’s idling yellow car. “That FD, do you drive it?”

 

“Yeah, why?” responded the blond.

 

“I’d like a race with you.” requested the stranger, who Katsuki just noticed; was standing in front of an AE86 Levin 3-door, in white-and-black. “I saw the race you had against the Evo IV, I’m impressed; and would like to test out my skills against yours.”

 

It reminded him of another particular Eight-Six that’s currently having engine issues.

 

“No.”

 

“Why?” the Levin driver asked. “Is it because I drive an Eight-Six?”

 

“Fuck; you must not be from around here then; to ask that question…” the blond-haired male tossed the remains of his cigarette to the ground. “Gunma locals know that us RedSuns don’t race on our own turf - it’s way too easy for us to win on our home grounds.”

 

The purple-haired male stared unamused.

 

“And for your own info; no Gunma racer will ever disrespect an Eight-Six driver - maybe in the past; but not now.” spoke Bakugou Katsuki with a hint of pride. “Because our fastest downhill driver drives an Eight-Six and has never lost a single race.”

 

“... what?” the stranger looked visibly taken aback.

 

“Against any kind of car.” added the blond honestly. “Even me.”

 

“Against any car…” repeated the purple-haired stranger, before he smirked. “Well, then you’d be qualified to say if I’m faster than him.”

 

“The answer’s still no. We don’t race here - end of story.” glared the sharp red eyes of Bakugou Katsuki, before turning to face the red-haired male. “Let’s go, Eijirou.”

 

Shinsou Hitoshi watched the two males get into their cars; before deciding on his own course of action.

 

He didn’t really want to do this, but…

 

Climbing back into the driver’s seat of his Eight-Six, he shifted into first gear and released the handbrake while keeping his left foot on the clutch, and stepping on the accelerator to rev the engine.

 

‘VRRRRRRRRRH!’

 

Steering the wheel to the right, he popped the clutch and the rear wheels spun; spinning his car around 180 degrees to follow the two cars already headed downhill.

 

If that guy didn’t accept his challenge easily… he will make it a race himself!

 

‘TSSH!’

 

“Tch…!” the blond noticed the fast-approaching headlights of the Levin in his rear-view mirror. “I told you _no_ ; but since you wanna fucking do it that way…!”

 

Katsuki floored the gas pedal out of the right-hairpin corner and straightened up his drift.

 

He flashed his headlights at the red S14 ahead, and the leading car paced down slightly to move further to the left, and he overtook his friend through the wide-open gap to the right.

 

The Eight-Six was keeping up easily as he went flat-out through the gentle right-handed corner with a gentle, well-controlled tail-slide.

 

‘TSSH!’

 

That _sound_ … was the sound of a wastegate coming from behind - that Levin is _turbocharged_! And the way that car followed him out of the corner sticking so close to his rear bumper…

 

That power of that Corolla Levin… that’s _not ordinary_!

 

‘You ease up for a second, FD…’ thought the driver of the AE86, keeping his right foot firmly on the pedal. ‘-and you’re _done_!’

 

The Eight-Six was still around a meter behind him; following his pace impeccably while Katsuki drifted with a perfect slide through the long, left-handed corner.

 

A shine - an odd flash caught his eye as he looked ahead.

 

A _person_ standing in the middle of the road, holding a warning triangle sign?! And the road ahead - it was blocked by a crashed car?!

 

SHIT!

 

The blond’s veins ran cold with adrenaline; faced with the danger of an accident at _full speed_.

 

The man quickly jumped out of the way before his car hit him, good!-

 

He took his foot off the gas pedal and fought the steering wheel to pull out from the drift to reduce the width of his car passing through the narrow gap.

 

-but he _couldn’t_ stop the drift or the car in time…! At this rate he’ll-!

 

Spinning his wheel to the right in the blink of an eye, he spun his car to swing the other way with a counter-drift; and his yellow FD fit in right through the narrow gap, nearly sending sparks flying with how _close_ it came in with the back bumper of the crashed car.

 

He was now facing the way he came; and he depressed the brake pedal to stop the car before his rear hit the guardrail - the AE86 made it; too, and slid to a stop right by his side the same way he did.

 

That was _too_ close...

 

He sighed with deep relief as he relaxed against his racing seat - that could’ve gone wrong - a single wrong move; and someone could’ve died.

 

That Eight-Six driver… he was something else; too - those skills were not for show! Maneuvering and reacting to a near-miss close to 100 km/h in the night…?!

 

‘VRRRRRRRRRH!’

 

And the Levin spun around to face the road leading downhill once more; and the purple-haired driver gave him a thumbs-up before he floored the gas to make his way down Akagi.

 

Bakugou Katsuki - he was _sick_ of racing against Eight-Sixes officially; for now. But when the time comes and if there's an opportunity to race that Levin guy again; he’d make sure to beat the _shit_ out of it.

 

Speaking of Eight-Sixes… Deku’s Trueno - what is wrong with it; exactly…?

 

The red Nissan S14 of Kirishima Eijirou driving at a relaxed pace soon showed up, and he turned his car around to follow the other RedSuns down the hill.

 

* * *

 

 

The next afternoon, a certain white-and-black AE86 Levin 3-door with a boot-lip spoiler was making its way through the city of Shibukawa.

 

“Where do you want to go for lunch, Mei?” asked Hitoshi to the passenger as they sat behind traffic waiting for a red. “I think there’s a family restaurant somewhere around here…”

 

“That sounds fine.” replied the girl. “I don’t really know what to do on an off-day...”

 

Hatsume Mei - recently found a job in Gunma at a mechanic workshop due to some connections her foster-brother - Shinsou Hitoshi - had.

 

“Hmm… How about Haruna Lake?” the driver peeked at the fuel-gauge for a moment, revealing his tank to be nearly running on fumes.

 

And luckily enough; he was driving right towards a Esso gas station located right next to the avenue that he was driving on.

 

And even luckier; when he drove into it, he noticed a parked Eight-Six Trueno in the gas station; probably belonging to one of the employees!

 

He killed the engine; and a green-haired boy walked up towards his car.

 

“High octane; full tank, please.” he called out after rolling down his manual windows before popping his fuel door.

 

“Yes sir.”

 

“Thanks; and can I just ask-” he pointed at the parked, High-Tech Two-Tone Sprinter Trueno parked in the corner of the gas station under the shelter. “-who’s Eight-Six is that?”

 

“That’s mine.” came the meek response, and Hitoshi grew excited.

 

‘Midoriya Tofu Shop’ - the writing on the door said; it couldn’t be the Eight-Six that blond FD driver mentioned yesterday on Akagi.

 

“No way!” smiled the purple-haired male as he noticed a cheery, yellow-haired boy walk up next to him. “You know anything about the Gunma’s fastest Eight-Six?”

 

“That’ll be this broccoli-head over here.” smiled the yellow-haired gas stand employee, clapping the green-haired boy on the shoulder. “His name’s Midoriya Izuku!”

 

Shinsou Hitoshi couldn’t believe his luck - the first gas station he visits, and he finds the car AND driver he’s been looking for.

 

But, the driver of the Trueno looked like he just gotten his license! Can such a young kid really be the driver of a legendary, undefeated car? And _why_ would such a young kid be interested in driving AE86s?

 

“If you want a race… I’m afraid I cannot do it.” said the boy, which made Hitoshi confused. “My Eight-Six just recently gotten a new engine, and I’ve been struggling with it…”

 

“A new engine?” Hatsume Mei joined the conversation; suddenly having her interests piqued. “What kind of engine?”

 

“Well… it’s an 4-AG…”

 

“I want to see it!” smiled the girl.

 

Shinsou Hitoshi wanted to see it too - exactly what kind of engine is sitting under the hood of Gunma’s legendary Eight-Six?

* * *

 


	36. The Sealed Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you don't realise what you have.

* * *

“I’ve been looking at it for weeks; but I can’t figure out what’s wrong with it - it just doesn’t produce power…” mumbled Midoriya Izuku as he unlocked the door to his Trueno. “I was planning to get it checked out after work…”

 

He pulled the lever to release the hood of his AE86, and the purple-haired male opened up the hatch fully to take a look inside, with the pink-haired girl peeking in.

 

“I don’t know if you’ll get anything out of it…” spoke the green-haired boy honestly. “It’s certainly not a normal engine; for sure-”

 

“You’re right, it’s  _ not _ a normal engine.” interrupted the purple-haired male, who suddenly grew an enraged look. “What kind of fool do you think I am? Where did you get a  _ treasure _ like this?”

 

His large green eyes grew wide with shock, while the girl kept staring at the engine underneath the hood.

 

“... what?”

 

“Calling it slow; that’s rich! Bring this to a shop and they’ll  _ arrest _ you immediately!” sneered the stranger. “A guy like me can never get a hold on this engine; no matter how hard I tried! Tell me; how did you get an engine like this?!”

 

“Wait; I think you’re misunderstanding!” panicked Midoriya Izuku. “I’m telling the truth! This engine is really- I can’t get any power out of it!”

 

“Tch, how long are you gonna play that game?” frowned the purple-haired male. “Fine; if you want to; go ahead and act dumb! This engine is anything  _ but _ slow!”

 

“I’ll prove it to you!” declared the green-haired boy. “After I knock off work today, come and find me; and I’ll prove it to you! I’m not lying, I swear!”

 

“... fine.” grumbled the purple-haired male, as he took out a piece of paper and wrote onto it. “Here’s my number. Give me a call; I wanna experience this engine for myself.”

 

‘Shinsou Hitoshi’ was written on the paper, followed by a series of numbers for a private cell-phone.

 

And moments later, the similarly-coloured Corolla Levin left the gas station after filling up, leaving behind a number and a very confused Midoriya Izuku.

 

_ ‘Uncle All-Might… what kind of engine exactly did you put into my car?!’ _

 

Hours passed, and it was already night-time.

 

Izuku had changed into more comfortable clothes after getting home from work, and used the wall-phone in the shophouse to dial the number left behind from the afternoon.

 

“Hello?” drawled out a lazy voice.

 

“H-Hi, it’s Midoriya Izuku…” he spoke into the receiver nervously. “From the gas station, this afternoon.”

 

“Ah, it’s you - Trueno-boy.” responded Hitoshi calmly. “I’ve been waiting for your call.”

 

“Can you get to Mount Haruna tonight?”

 

“I can get there within half-an-hour.” came the response.

 

“Okay; then… I’ll be there.”

 

“Great.”

 

And the call ended.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The panda Levin was already there when he arrived, with the purple-haired male laying on the white hood of his car to stare at the night sky.

 

After he pulled to a stop, his passenger door was opened, and Shinsou Hitoshi sat down to buckle himself into the seat without a word.

 

“Go on then, drive.” drawled out the male afterwards. “And don’t hold back.”

 

And so he drove out onto the road.

 

He had been trying all sorts of ways to tame this car with his techniques and skills for nearly a  _ month _ now, but it was still not as good a car compared to his previous AE86, even though he could kind-of control it now.

 

He wanted to blame the suspension settings; or the engine - but this  _ wasn’t _ the car’s fault; not until it is clearly determined that it is.

 

Fourth gear, moving quickly into the first corner, brake, downshift into second, and attack the left-hander with a drift with the engine roaring out at 7800 RPM.

 

All four tyres squealed out loud as they fought to grip onto the road at the high speeds they were sent flying into the curve.

 

It wasn’t perfect for Izuku, but-

 

“You’re kidding-” Hitoshi gripped onto the grab-handle with his left hand firmly to steady himself. “Tch!”

 

The way this kid entered corners… it was  _ unreal _ \- the amount of side-G forces his body was currently experiencing, with the strain his two legs felt propping him upright in the seat told him so!

 

‘VVRRRRRRRRRRRRHHH!’

 

He floored the accelerator out of the corner and the Trueno nearly  _ scraped _ against the guardrails on the way out - but the engine… it didn’t blow everything off the road like he expected it to.

 

It felt...

 

It felt  _ weird, _ right before he shifted up into third gear after stretching to 8000, like a sudden, slight boost of power.

 

But no need to compare it to a turbo; it was plain dull!

 

… what was wrong with this engine? Is the drive-belt slipping?

 

It revved evenly from the mid-range revs, then suddenly spins faster in the highs-

 

Wait- an increase of power output right before the redline…?

 

… maybe that’s it!

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


After finishing the run down Haruna, Izuku turned the car around and drove it back all the way to the top of the mountain and stopped it behind the Levin.

 

The boy suddenly took note of the Saitama-area number plate.

 

“I know your problem now.” said Hitoshi, unbuckling the seatbelt. “It was so simple I didn’t think of it at first…”

 

“What’s causing this, then?” asked Izuku, and the purple-haired male pointed a finger at the gauges in front of him.

 

“It’s staring you right in the eye; your tachometer.” he put down his hand. “This factory meter - it doesn’t go high enough.”

 

The green-haired boy stared at the idling needle, sitting firmly at 1000 RPM, with the maximum range going up to 8000.

 

“... what?” came the mumble from a confused Izuku. “I thought this engine revved up to just over eight-thousand revolutions?”

 

“That’s for the stock engine; which is  _ not _ what you have.” stated the male as he opened the passenger door. “Open the hood; I’ll show you.”

 

And so he obliged, pulling the lever to feel a click before stepping out of the car and closing the door to join Hitoshi, who had already began opening up the hood fully, utilising the hood prop.

 

When he checked what he needed to re-check, Shinsou Hitoshi smirked and pointed towards a particular part of the engine.

 

“This engine - 4-AGE with 20 valves- it usually comes with a VVT, but yours lack it; which can only mean one thing.” stated the purple-haired male. “With that tuning, this engine is a super high-rev unit!”

 

“... what?!” Izuku stared, wide-eyed. “... is- is this…. a Group-A…”

 

All of a sudden, the weird feeling he always felt in this car when shifting gears made  _ sense _ \- it was the power band of the high-rev engine!

 

“Yes, it’s a Group-A engine.” nodded Shinsou Hitoshi. “Which is exactly why I wondered how you got your hands on this.”

 

“... I wasn’t the one who found this engine!” panicked the younger male. “W-wait, isn’t this thing illegal for street-use?!”

 

_ ‘What did Uncle Toshinori do to get this?!’ _

 

“... no shit.” drawled the male with an unamused look. “Anyway; whatever the reason, you should be looking at a range up to at least 10,000 revolutions.”

 

“... that high, huh…”

 

It made sense; if the power increase started at 7000 - 8000 revolutions.

 

The hood was then slammed shut.

 

“I noticed something weird when sitting in your car.” stated the Levin driver. “It’s too plain - with an engine like this; you need gauges to monitor the temperatures, so  _ why _ are they missing?”

 

He didn’t have an answer for that.

 

“Let me tell you; whoever was responsible for tuning this car  _ knew _ what they were doing.” observed Hitoshi, staring at the Trueno. “The chassis and body was firm, and the suspension could keep up with the engine; so it definitely wasn’t a mistake when they left out the essentials.”

 

“... the meters were left out intentionally…?”

 

“Correct.” nodded the other AE86 driver. “Perhaps it was a tactic used to get you used to the high power without you realising it.”

 

The purple-haired male then walked towards his own car - the Corolla Levin.

 

“... with such a gift, you didn’t even realise that you had it.” he stopped at the door. “I never felt anything but affinity towards other people driving Eight-Sixes; but you’re a different story, Midoriya Izuku.”

 

“...?”

 

“I have to defeat you. We’ll race once you get your gift of an engine sorted out!” declared the male with a sharp side-glance before opening up the door. “I’ll find you in a few days, get your Trueno ready by then.”

 

The Levin’s turbocharged 4-AGE ignited to life, before it drove out onto the main road to charge its way downhill.

 

Hitoshi shifted into fourth gear.

 

That way that boy dove into corners; he was terrified when he was sitting next to him in the passenger’s seat.

 

The corner quickly revealed itself to him, and he pressed onto the brake pedal and downshifted skillfully without locking up before sliding into the turn.

 

… he can’t dive into the corner like Midoriya Izuku could - he was in shock! How did a boy that young learn such skills?!

 

He floored his way out of the corner, and he fought the steering wheel to keep his car straight when the turbo spooled and spun his rear wheels.

 

… he mustn't lose to that kid, or everything he is and worked up to become… will be shattered into pieces!

 

Shinsou Hitoshi attacked the corners as viciously as he could, driving down the hill of Haruna with a new competitive edge.

 

He must win with this Levin!

* * *

 


	37. Unlocking The Seal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katsuki and Izuku - their lives are intertwined. And Izuku now needs the help of Katsuki.

* * *

“Oi, half-and-half!”

 

He opened the door harshly with a slam.

 

“Good morning to you too.” greeted Todoroki Shouto calmly, turning around in his swivel chair. “What is it?”

 

“Shitty-hair said Deku’s Eight-Six is back in action.” stated the blond, leaning on the door frame. “He swapped in a new engine.”

 

“Really?” the older male raised an eyebrow. “Interesting... let’s go watch his delivery run tomorrow morning.”

 

“Tch, stalker.”

 

“Maybe we’ll get some Midoriya tofu after; I always wanted to try some.”

 

Oh right.

 

Deku’s family tofu brand was gaining some popularity nowadays due to his underground fame, and with the infamous Trueno parked next to the shophouse nearly all the time; you could imagine the kind of people that visits - some of which who goes just to _see_ the car.

 

… tofu sounded nice.

  


* * *

 

  


He dialed the number on the phone directory for Bakugou Automobile Maintenance; and the call was picked up after three rings.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Who’s this?”

 

“Kacchan, it’s me.”

 

“Oh, shitty Deku…” grumbled the voice. “What d’you want? I’m busy.”

 

“Uh… do you have a tachometer that goes up to 10,000 revolutions?” asked the boy meekly. “I need-”

 

“Hah? What’d you need that kind of meter for?!” came the exclamation. “But yeah, I do have one, you _lucky_ fuck - goes up to _13_. Anything else you need?”

 

“Uh… a water-temp and oil-temp gauge…”

 

“Tch, okay.” Katsuki said under his breath. “I’ll sort it out - come pick it up when you’re free.”

 

“Okay, I’ll be there tomorrow.” informed the boy happily. “Thank you Kacchan!”

 

“Whatever, nerd.”

  


* * *

 

  


Foggy morning...

 

Katsuki yawned; it was four-something in the morning, and they were stood at one of the five consecutive hairpins in Haruna.

 

Their two generations of Mazda RX-7 were hidden by bushes, parked.

 

Soon, the sound of distant tyre squeals travelled towards them, followed by the reverberating sounds of a howling engine in the mountain valleys

 

And a set of headlights appeared in the foggy morning, out from the previous corner and charging towards the hairpin-right they stood at.

 

‘VVRRRRRRRRRRRRRH!’

 

The car’s engine and exhausts roared out high with a downshift, and charged through the corner with a drift - a smooth drift; smooth _enough_ , but not as smooth as it was before, and Katsuki noticed the differences.

 

That panda AE86 lost its usual gracefulness, and something inside him disliked that fact when he saw it.

 

“... that sound…” Shouto mumbled with a frown. “... The Eight-Six… it has been revived as a scary monster of a car...”

 

Katsuki had an inkling to what the other meant - just a feeling.

  


* * *

 

  


Izuku couldn’t wait to get his Eight-Six to Kacchan’s workshop in Maebashi after school, running out of the school gates excitedly to-

 

“Izuku!” a female’s voice he didn’t want to hear. “Hey! I’ve been waiting for you, do you-”

 

Whatever the girl was currently saying turned into white noise; because it was Uraraka Ochako.

 

She was standing right in front of him - in his path - blocking his way, and suddenly all his excitement died and went to heaven. Or hell.

 

The point was, he wasn’t happy to see her.

 

“... I can’t talk to you right now.” he interrupted, while running past her quickly, avoiding eye-contact. “I’m busy!”

 

“... oh.” and she watched the green-haired boy run away from her and towards the parking lot. “See… you…?”

 

And he reached his car a minute later, with the plan of going straight to the workshop in Maebashi, even in his school uniform.

 

Uraraka Ochako - that was something he still had to deal with.

  


* * *

 

 

“That’s 520 yen.” said the owner of the small food cart selling yakitori.

 

The pink-haired Hatsume Mei rummaged in her wallet, dismayed to find that she’s short of 10 yen for her sticks of chicken after she placed all she had down on the counter.

 

… but, she _had_ a 10,000 bill, which she took out and gave to the cart-owner, who looked at her with a surprised face.

 

“I don’t have enough change for that, do you have smaller bills?” asked the stall-owner.

 

She didn’t.

 

“Well, if you don’t mind being short 10 yen-” began Mei, before a hand appeared to slap down a 10 yen coin onto the flat surface.

 

“Here, 10 yen.” spoke the voice of a young male.

 

“Hey!” She recognised that yellow hair immediately. “Aren’t you that guy working at the gas station the other day?”

 

“Yeah!” smiled Kaminari Denki, and they walked together out of the market street. “I’m just heading to work, up ahead.”

 

He had a packet of food in a plastic bag.

 

“I see…” she thought for a moment. “Is your Eight-Six friend going to be there?”

 

“Oh, he has the day off.”

 

“My brother said he got to talk to him, about his car.” smiled Mei. “I’m really interested in mechanics.”

 

“Oh? I guess we’ll be great friends, then!”

 

“Y’know,” began the girl. “I think I know what kind of engine your friend has gotten in his Eight-Six.”

 

That topic greatly interested the street-racing-obsessed Kaminari Denki (who so happened to also _date_ a street-racer), so he wanted to talk about it too.

 

“Really? Tell me!”

  


* * *

 

  


It was late afternoon by the time he got there.

 

“Kacchan?” called out Midoriya Izuku, stepping into the small workshop tentatively and carefully as if the floor would crack and open up a giant sinkhole on the face of the earth.

 

There were three cars inside, with a leftover empty space large enough to fit in two more cars.

 

“Kacchan?” he called out louder.

 

“Over here, shitty Deku.” the figure appeared from behind the hood of a Type-R Integra.

 

“K-Kacchan?!” exclaimed the boy, after taking in the other’s appearance. “Why are you shirtless?!”

 

Bakugou Katsuki - in all his muscled glory, with small stains of motor oil and grime smeared in swipes across his torso while he walked towards him nonchalantly.

 

He can’t help but stare a little.

 

“Tch, gets hot in here; that’s why.” came the response, before a _wicked_ smirk took over his face. “And also attracts _some_ kind of customers.”

 

“... _what_?!” blushed the younger male.

 

_‘Is this guy for real? Is he running a mechanic shop, or-’_

 

“The thing you’re looking for is on the counter.” he pointed to the corner of the room with a sink, a fridge, and a small table with a box on it. “Inside the box.”

 

… but this casual feeling, it was so very _‘Kacchan’_.

 

He picked open the box, and _noticed_ a suspiciously familiar food-packaging labelled _'Midoriya Tofu Shop'_ next to it.

 

 _‘... Aha!_ ’

 

He smiled happily, before turning towards his childhood friend.

 

“How much do I owe you for this, Kacchan?”

 

“Before we get to that; why the fuck do you need these parts?” asked the blond, taking a white towel to wet it under the sink. “Are they for your Eight-Six?”

 

“... yeah.” he watched as the Bakugou cleaned himself up with the towel, before running it under the sink again. “I realised something about the engine.”

 

A sudden realisation flashed across his mind as the blond’s red eyes widened - high-revving engine…?!

 

“Wait a moment, shitty _Deku_ .” the blond growled. “Bring your Eight-Six in here, _now_.”

 

And minutes later, the 1983 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX was parked in the workshop of Bakugou Automobile Maintenance, right near the entrance with the hood open for the shop-owner to see what’s underneath.

 

“SHITTY STUPID NERD DEKU!” hollered the blond with an incredulous glare. “How do you _not_ know you have a Group-A engine under the hood?! I _oughta_ beat the shit outta you!”

 

That lack of a VVT pulley, and the presence of a _dry-sump_ oil system - all the markings of the racing engine.

 

But for some strange reason, a carburettor was present, but he decided the reason wasn’t important to know.

 

“H-hey, I didn’t know!” defended the shorter boy, putting his hands up like a shield. “I never got to take a look at such an engine, Kacchan!”

 

“TCH! Shit-nerd!” spat Katsuki before calming down after a second. “... anyway, I _think_ this was the engine I told you about the other day.”

 

“Huh?! _This_ is that ‘strange’ engine?!” his eyes widened with surprise, looking at the silver-top 4-AGE. “That’s… such a coincidence!”

 

“Yeah, and only a stupid shitty _Deku_ like you would miss _all_ the important details.” glared the blond as he slammed the hood down. “Your first hint should’ve been the fucking power-band!”

 

“I didn’t know, and I didn’t want to over-rev the engine!” defended the green-haired boy indignantly. “Anyway, even if I gotten the right gauges, I still don’t know how high I can rev this engine to…”

 

“Tch, ask your mechanic, then.” Katsuki responded with a roll of his eyes. “I’d say it’s safe to go up to 11-thousand revolutions.”

 

“How do you know that?”

 

“Cause I’m awesome, that’s why.” smirked the muscular blond handsomely, before patting the hood of the Trueno. “This is a good engine, Deku - take care of it and don’t blow it up like you did with the previous one.”

 

“I know, Kacchan.”

 

Their eyes met, and Bakugou Katsuki remembered the conversation they had a few weeks ago in a certain cafe after the battle between RedSuns and Emperor.

 

“... so, how’s stuff with that shitty money-whore?” spoke the blond tentatively, knowing the sensitivity of the subject.

 

“Ah! I saw her today when I was coming here.” recalled the green-haired boy. “I’ve been too busy with the car to do anything else, trying all sorts of things, ending up wasting a lot of fuel...”

 

Before the boy could start mumbling or start feeling dejected:

 

“The parts are on me.” declared the blond suddenly. “Now start installing them before I change my mind!”

 

That blush on his freckled face, oh _boy_.

 

“Y-Yes!”

 

 _Maybe_ Eijirou was right. About him _liking_ Deku.

 

And they began working on getting the new gauges installed on the Trueno.

 

“Let’s eat after.”

 

He needed to smoke.

 

“Sure, Kacchan-” the boy saw the small packet being taken out from his pockets. “-eeh?! Kacchan _smokes_?!”

 

“Tch, yeah.” he rolled his eyes. “Only sometimes, been at it for two years.”

 

“That’s not good!” and Izuku took out a pack of mint-flavoured gum. “Here.”

 

He stared at the gum sticks before staring at the lighter in his hands.

 

…

 

 _Fuck_.

 

“Tch, FINE!” he snatched the chewing gums. “I guess I’ll try these shitty kiddy-snacks.”

 

Just _maybe._

 

“How was the deep-fried tofu, Kacchan?”

 

… he had forgotten to throw those takeaway-boxes away.

 

“Shut up and let’s get to work.”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gay???


	38. Rude Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku makes the decision to race his new Eight-Six!

* * *

He barely had time to test the new gauges in the morning after yesterday, hanging out with Kacchan.

 

They eaten, hung out at a mall, and drove up and down Mount Akagi once in the yellow FD before Izuku was taken back to the workshop to collect his car.

 

During the morning delivery, the power was there now; and he revved it up to 8000, then 9000, then 10,000 before shifting gears, but it still felt a little off when he cornered.

 

And before he knew it, he ran out of road to test the new power - there was a significant difference now, and it definitely felt more powerful than 150 HP.

 

The run up and down Haruna wasn’t enough for him to do a shakedown on the car.

 

He slept immediately after getting home before class started.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Hey, Izuku!” she greeted, after seeing the green-haired boy with messy curls.

 

Ochako followed, and walked right next to her crush as they headed right towards the school gate without stopping.

 

“Are you avoiding me…?” she asked, as they walked onto the stone paths. “We haven’t done anything together this past month.”

 

That was something that had been bothering her for a few weeks now - when she called him - or rather, his house - that night, and nobody answered.

 

“No, I’m not.” came the reply, a little too firm for her liking. “But why does it matter? It’s not like we’re  _ dating _ , or anything.”

 

…?

 

“... well, we’re friends, aren’t we?” she tried her best to not seem affected by the previous comment. “Let’s go somewhere soon, in your Trueno.”

 

… well, technically they’re  _ not _ officially dating-

 

“...  _ no _ thanks.” Izuku suddenly walked faster, leaving her behind quickly.

 

What was going on with him? Why was he suddenly so cold towards her? Why was he beginning to  _ avoid _ her?

 

The Midoriya Izuku she remembered before the previous month was someone who was happy, shy, friendly, and always made time for anyone and everyone who went up to him.

 

Had something changed?

 

“Have fun with your boyfriend, in the  _ Benz _ .”

 

She froze up, and her heart stopped for a second.

 

That sentence - it came so sudden, and Izuku said it with such malice, and held-back rage - everything that the boy  _ wasn’t _ .

 

Her legs stopped moving, and her feet was now planted firmly onto the ground through her shoes while her knees began to feel like they couldn’t support her weight any longer.

 

Hot, wet tears threatened to flood from her eyes as her vision turned blurry.

 

… how… how did he  _ know _ …?

 

How did he find out?!

 

He  _ wasn’t _ supposed to know!

 

She just… needed the money, so she… did  _ that _ !

 

Uraraka Ochako lost sight of the 18-year-old boy as he turned a corner - and it looked like he was walking out of her life.  _ Permanently _ .

 

_ … how did he know…?! _

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“How do you know that, Denki?” asked Kirishima Eijirou, putting aside a broom after sweeping dead leaves out of the gas station floor.

 

The amount of dead leaves had been increasing recently - autumn was soon falling and ending their summer.

 

“You remember that Levin-turbo that came into the gas station?” responded the yellow-haired male. “His little sister - she’s good with mechanics. She said that Izuku’s engine was some kind of racing engine; that much she could tell at first glance.”

 

“Huh…”

 

And speaking of the devil - a certain High-Tech Two-Tone 1983 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX pulled into the gas station to report for work.

 

“Hey Izuku!” smiled the red-haired male as the boy stepped out of the car.

 

“Hello, Kirishima-senpai.”

 

The older male noticed the new gauges inside the Toyota before the door closed, and it sort-of confirmed what Denki was talking about earlier.

 

Well, it didn’t hurt to ask!

 

“You got a racing engine?”

 

“How did you know that?” Izuku was surprised after that question came out from his mouth. “But yes, I don’t know how my uncle got this engine…”

 

“Does he work for the racing industry?” asked the red-haired male. “Your uncle.”

 

“No… I don’t think so.”

 

… and that was the end of that particular conversation.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


When evening arrived, however, the gas station became more lively when Shinsou Hitoshi’s turbocharged AE86 Levin pulled into the station.

 

It parked and the driver stepped out.

 

And the purple-haired male was walking towards him, so Izuku walked forward to face the challenger.

 

Hitoshi glanced at the parked Trueno behind the other male for a second, before redirecting his focus to Izuku.

 

“Is your Eight-Six ready?” he drawled.

 

The green-haired boy nodded.

 

“Then we decide on a time and place.”

 

“What about today?” came the unexpected suggestion.

 

“I’m okay with that.” he answered. “Place?”

 

“H-” the boy cut himself off, and began mumbling with a finger tapping on his cheeks. “No, I promised myself to stop racing there…”

 

Shinsou Hitoshi was then faced with three seconds of endless, non-coherent words coming out of the other AE86 driver’s mouth before:

 

“Your home course.” came a declaration. “I’ll race you there, and nowhere else.”

 

“Daring, aren’t you; Trueno-boy.” smirked the purple-haired male. “Are you  _ very _ sure?”

 

A determined nod, with burning eyes.

 

“Fine, I’ll humour you; but  _ don’t _ expect to win now.” said Hitoshi , crossing his arms. “Shoumaru Touge, Saitama - near Chichibu.”

 

“I got it; I’ll meet you at Shoumaru station at 11.” decided Midoriya Izuku. “I’ll head over once I finish work.”

 

“See ya.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Izuku already installed the new gauges in his car, huh…” mumbled Yagi Toshinori into the phone. “Well, I’m glad he figured it out for himself!”

 

“He’s going out to race today, you know.” 

 

“And he’s going to do it well, with the car I’ve given him.”

 

“He’s going to blow up that engine, that boy.” drawled out Aizawa Shouta. “Have you even told him about the rev-limit of the engine?”

 

“... I’m not worried, Shouta. The engine is in good hands.” smiled Toshinori. “I noticed that that boy, he had gotten someone that he can rely on.”

 

“Who are you talking about?”

 

“That boy I told you about the other day.” responded the mechanic. “He might also be the one who gotten those meters working for Izuku.”

 

“... that Bakugou kid?”

 

“Yes. Bakugou Katsuki; he also runs a workshop in Maebashi, if I’m not wrong.” recalled the old blond. “He was the one to bring in the Eight-Six for the boy. I think he’ll be good for Izuku.”

 

“... you say it like they’re going to be marrying each other or something, old man.”

 

Yagi Toshinori sputtered.

  
  
  


* * *

 

  
  
  


“Shoumaru? Seriously?!” Katsuki raised an eyebrow. “That’s such a shitty place!”

 

The reason was; the road was narrow and old, with a history of many prior accidents which caused it to become unused by commuters for their own safety.

 

The blond drove there before once, and the roads were dangerous; as there were less usable space than it appeared to have - with cracked asphalt both on the inner and outer edges of the road.

 

“Shitty Deku choosing such a crappy place…”

 

“Are you coming or what?” asked Eijirou, standing next to his idling S14. “The race’s gonna start before we get there at this rate.”

 

“Tch, I am!” and the blond pulled down the shutters to close his garage for the night. “Let’s go.”

 

He unlocked his yellow FD3S and started up the 350 HP, 13B twin-turbo engine with a roar.

 

He’d be damned if he missed the awakening of the Eight-Six’s new, true power of the racing 4-AGE Group-A engine.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Kaminari Denki decided to tag along in his Trueno when he left the gas station, although he told him that he was going to race that night.

 

“Your car looks different; Izuku.” observed the yellow-haired boy, staring at the new gauges, before noticing his surroundings. “Wait; why are we going onto the Kan-Etsu expressway?”

 

“I told you, I’m going to a race.” responded the boy, as he shifted into fifth gear keeping his RPMs low at 3000. “So I have to use the highway.”

 

“Yeah, but this direction goes away from any mountain roads in Gunma!”

 

“We’re heading to Chichibu.” and Denki’s eyes grew wide with surprise. “In Saitama.”

 

“SAITAMA?!” exclaimed his classmate. “You’re- wait, you’re not going to race him in Shoumaru, are you?!”

 

“... I am.”

 

“You’re crazy, Izuku.” commented the Silvia driver. “You just got your car sorted out, and now you’re rearing for a race in someone else’s home course?!”

 

“... I don’t know either; I just wanted to test something out.”

 

11,000 RPM, Kacchan said.

 

“How did you know that Shoumaru was his home course?” asked Izuku. “I didn’t tell you.”

 

“I made friends with the guy’s sister by coincidence.” came the reply. “We met at a market.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“You’re gonna get screwed so hard.” complained Denki. “Izuku, you have to be sure about these things!”

 

The driver kept his eyes on the road ahead, seemingly growing determined from the look in his eyes, while the car flowed through the lit highway at 80 km/h.

 

“I am.”

 

He remembered the words Kacchan said to him:

 

‘If you feel that you reached the end of the stable power-band, then that’s the limit.’

 

11,000 RPM.

 

He had the magic figure now, and  _ hopefully _ , it is enough to take down that 280 HP Levin-turbo!

* * *

 


	39. The Biggest Obstacle!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This new Eight-Six is the biggest obstacle right now for Midoriya Izuku!

* * *

They talked through their rolled-down windows.

 

“Finally, you’re here.” drawled out the purple-haired male as he checked his dashboard time to reveal it was 11:08. “Let’s not waste anymore time, shall we?”

 

“Sure.”

 

“You gonna lose that passenger or what?” he nodded towards Denki.

 

“When we get there,” responded Izuku. “I’ll drop him off.”

 

And the two Eight-Six models made their journey towards the old, redundant mountain roads of Shoumaru.

 

Midoriya Izuku had seen the speed of that Levin once, but that single time was enough to make him worry about this race.

 

He was betting all his faith in this new engine, and the magical figure given to him by his long-lost childhood friend, and the fact that Kacchan had  _ never _ failed to amaze him.

 

Slowly, the leading Levin came to a stop and put his hazards on.

 

“We’re here.”

 

And Kaminari Denki got out to stand at the entrance of the pass, before Shinsou Hitoshi walked up to his car door.

 

He rolled down the window once more.

 

“As the road is too small to start side-by-side, I’ll be leading first to take you through the road on your first run.” informed the Levin driver. “We’ll start slow; watch out for my hazard lights to signal the start of the run.”

 

“Okay.” nodded Izuku, as the opponent got back into his own car.

 

He put his car into first gear and followed the red rear-lights of the other AE86 into the dark, unknown roads of Shoumaru.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“So, how high does it rev, that engine?”

 

Their cars were parked behind a mountain wall, on the widest road they could find without blocking the main part of the road.

 

“It peaks around nine to ten thousand, and goes up to 11,000.” grumbled Bakugou Katsuki as he sat down on the stair steps built on the slope. “I know about those engines; watched a few Eight-Sixes race with those before in pro-championships.”

 

“... huh.” thought Eijirou. “So, those Eight-Sixes, were they fast?”

 

“The point for those kinds of engines is not for pure speed, shitty-hair.” explained the blond male. “They’re built to be mounted low, to lower the centre of gravity of a car.”

 

“... why?”

 

“So you can take corners faster if the suspensions are done right.” stated Katsuki. “But they’re not so bad in a straight-line, either.”

 

“Then, that Levin-turbo… can Izuku match up with it?”

 

“Absolutely.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


They were going upwards...

 

Izuku noticed the hazard lights turned on for three seconds, before the leading car surged ahead with a boost.

 

He put his right foot down. Hard.

 

And he immediately sunk into the racing seat, with his back pressed against it while his car fought its way uphill.

 

_ This power…! _

 

Honestly, he expected to be left behind by that Levin-turbo on the upslope, but once he put his foot down and the revs climbed above 7000, he felt the immense power released.

 

Braking and downshifting for the left-hander, his revolutions hit 9,500 as he drifted behind that Levin.

 

… so this is the strength of this engine…!

 

It was easier to control now; but it was still a handful even with the new gauges - Izuku still wasn’t in full control of his new Toyota.

 

Hitoshi glanced at his rear-view mirrors before he smirked - the Trueno was keeping up.

 

“See, I told you that was a good engine!” he stepped down the gas, spooling the turbo as the revs roared high. “We’re about evenly matched in power!”

 

The Levin fishtailed, countersteering as the driver accelerated bravely out of the corner with the vicious turbo spinning its rear wheels with immense torque.

 

The Trueno was right behind the Levin; but the leading AE86 was only going at 70% on the first run.

 

No experienced racer will ever go all-out on the very first run - because the assessment the road conditions was the top priority!

 

So, Izuku was able to keep up without much issue, although it was his first time racing on this tight, twisty road of Shoumaru!

 

He could keep up with 280 horsepower!

 

Spinning his wheel right, he dove in right after the Levin, a few inches away from.the mountain wall, and smoothly accelerated out of the corner before flooring it.

 

9,000, 10,000… 11,000!

 

And he shifted into third gear.

 

The surge he felt as his car charged forward - it was indescribable.

 

This car was fast!

 

However, not only just Izuku; Shinsou Hitoshi was also happy about his own Levin!

 

An ordinary Eight-Six was unbeatable on the downhill under the right hands, but it had no power for the hillclimb.

 

The ‘boom’ turbo had been an upgrade he’d gotten nearly half-a-year ago, but without any real opponents to use it against, it was like having a gun without anything to shoot at!

 

Now that he was racing this other AE86, it allowed him to truly gauge his own car against the other!

 

But both drivers understood their race to the very core - although the Trueno and Levin were tuned as different as night and day, they both still drove the same car underneath!

 

The Toyota AE86 - which was usually seen as a disadvantageous car, but incredible under the right hands.

 

Hitoshi and Izuku - they’re both strong drivers who were trained by the aidless and powerless Eight-Six - no ABS, no power-steering!

 

It was a pure battle of skills - for neither driver can fake the other out!

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Dude, Katsuki.” Eijirou noticed that pack of sweets. “Is that  _ gum _ ? You’re not gonna  _ smoke _ ?”

 

The blond looked visibly irked from being noticed with the mint-flavoured candy (given by a certain  _ someone) _ while waiting for the two old Toyotas to appear.

 

“FUCK IS IT TO YOU?!”

 

“Nothing; I just think its good for you to quit smoking.” commented the red-haired RedSuns. “You never stopped when I asked you to, who managed to?”

 

“Tch.  _ Nobody _ .” Katsuki lied while, popping a piece into his mouth and began chewing. “I’m the one that wanna stop smoking.”

 

“Good luck with that.” the sounds of engines and squealing tyres got close. “They’re close.”

 

“Right ‘round the corner.”

 

Appearing on cue, the Levin flew squealing out of right-handed corner immediately followed by the Trueno with a new sound.

 

‘VVORRRRRRRRRRHH!’

 

With the gas fully down, the Levin’s turbo spooled and threatened to spin the car while the driver countered the movements with steering.

 

The obsolete ‘boom’ turbo…!

 

The front bumper of Izuku’s car was just a metre away from the leading car, as they braked once more to drift into a left-hander.

 

They disappeared again.

 

“Wow… that new engine sounds vicious!” commented Eijirou. “And fast, too!”

 

“He’s still not used to it yet.” the blond had noticed the presence of grace on the Trueno. “But, he’s getting close.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


He was going faster than he ever did before, and it certainly affected his handling - this new Eight-Six was scary.

 

Izuku’s right hand on the steering wheel shaked with fear, while his left hand shifted gears before gripping back on the wheel.

 

It wasn’t helping that his opponent was driving in a really weird style - disrupting his own rhythm while going fast regardless!

 

His body suddenly leaned forwards slightly as his car climbed a hill.

 

Downhill…?

 

Following the lead of the leading Levin, he braked and downshifted into second gear before sending his drifting car charging into the left-hander.

 

The bumpers of the two Eight-Sixes grazed dirt on the inner path as they sped through.

 

So... this pass is a mixture of up and downhill, with the peak at the centre!

 

But he knew better than to be too happy about it; since the other was also driving an Eight-Six.

 

Speaking of which… he had felt this unusual sense of competitiveness ever since this race began.

 

Was it because the other driver was also driving the same car?

 

Izuku thinks it was.

 

He doesn’t want to lose to another Eight-Six, for it would mean that his skills were not as good as the other!

 

He wanted to win!

 

But Shinsou Hitoshi wanted to win just as much as Midoriya Izuku - it was a clash of pure willpower!

 

And with the factors acting against the younger driver - he definitely wasn't ready to win, yet.

 

His biggest obstacle right now, was his revived friend - the unfamiliar Trueno!

 

Unexpectedly, the Levin suddenly dashed to the right side of the road and went right up against the guardrail-

 

-a construction barrier?!

 

He spun his wheel to the right, barely missing the obstacle before he had to brake and turn left into a slow corner.

 

‘SCREEEEEEEE!’

 

His body was thrown towards the right as he countersteered into the violent drift, with his right foot stepping on the pedal intermittently to regain control.

 

And the two Eight-Sixes charged out of the left-handed corner.

 

… he lost a little ground, because of that!

 

He made a mental note of the obstacle as he stepped down onto the accelerator after shifting into third.

 

Yellow, blinking lights appeared ahead.

 

… the hazard lights…?

* * *

 


	40. Breaking The True Seal!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even with the correct gauges, the Eight-Six still had one final, hidden seal for Izuku to find and break through!

* * *

Yagi Toshinori sat on the couch with a cup of tea on the coffee table.

 

He stared at the circular ceiling-light.

 

'Izuku, I haven't told you anything about the car… But the suspension settings were changed from the ground up for the new engine.

 

Change the suspension settings, and you change everything!'

 

He sipped at his warm Oolong tea, before placing it back down on the table.

 

'With the car being an FR, it will still slide if you floor it too much, even more so with the new power… it is like uncapping a shaken soda bottle!

 

But if you rev it up, past where the torque-band peaks, then you can have more control, the higher you go.

 

Notice that, young Izuku!'

 

* * *

 

 

It was the second run, from the other end of the pass.

 

And Izuku was now the leading car in his Trueno!

 

However, leading in these conditions were extremely disadvantageous for him, as this was his first time on this is dangerous, tight course.

 

But he knew that fundamentally, the road was not _wide_ enough to overtake safely - that much he knew from the first round!

 

Drifting out of a left-handed corner and stabilising his drift with the throttle, he gassed down and soon shifted into third gear.

 

The Levin was firmly behind him, but he definitely isn't going to back down so easily!

 

Even with the numerous factors against him, he bravely charged down the unfamiliar pass at his full speed!

 

The Levin behind was pushing him hard, pressuring him to go faster.

 

A left-handed corner was coming up quick.

 

Braking hard, he downshifted with a clutch-kicked heel-and-toe into second gear, he turned his wheel to the left and drifted into the corner, while his engine roared out high after releasing the clutch-

 

… did he just imagine that...?!

 

* * *

 

 

"That Levin, it's so aggressively fast out of the corners." spoke Eijirou, breaking the far-away sounds of racing cars. "I saw the way it followed you out of corners back on Akagi."

 

"That's the way turbo cars work; they have more torque." grumbled Katsuki, chewing on his piece of gum. "But mecha-tuned cars like Deku's Eight-Six is the best at entering corners."

 

The reason was, the driver's right foot was instantly linked to the full amount of power the engine offered in a naturally-aspirated car, compared to a turbo when you needed to wait for it to spool up to generate boost.

 

Even after you braked into a corner, a driver of a mecha-tuned car can make further adjustments to his entry with the accelerator - which is the way Izuku drove his Trueno!

 

As for the Levin, Hitoshi bravely keeps his foot firmly down on the accelerator out of corners while fighting the oversteer with steering, to maximise the exit speed of his car!

 

'PSSH!'

 

'VVORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHH!'

 

"There!" exclaimed Eijirou, as the Trueno burst out of the right-hander hidden by the cliffside with a drift, followed by the Levin-turbo.

 

A _perfect_ drift.

 

Bakugou Katsuki watched the leading Trueno straighten up from his drift gracefully and hugged the outer guardrail, before it shifted up a gear and moved to the other side of the road for the next left-hander.

 

That _flawless_ movement - Deku's Eight-Six was back in business!

 

With a roar, the rear-lights of the Sprinter Trueno disappeared in a flash of red, as the two AE86s were hidden by the geography once more.

 

They vanished, as fast as they came.

 

"He's gotten the hang of it." smirked the blond-haired racer. "It's time for Haruna's Eight-Six to awaken…!"

 

* * *

 

 

Shifting into third gear after straightening up his car, Izuku finally allowed himself to smile for the first time.

 

It wasn't his imagination - it did get easier to control once he drifted with the engine revving up high!

 

The higher the rev was when he cornered, the easier it was to control - Kacchan was completely _right_!

 

With this brand new confidence, he finally floored the accelerator of his powerful Trueno without worry for the first time on this pass!

 

"Tch!" Hitoshi gritted as the Trueno surged ahead, and he put his foot down and fought the steering for control. "This kid…!"

 

He was keeping up easily, but his pace was also being stretched now!

 

'I've never seen a driver adapt to a course this _fast…_!' thought the purple-haired male as he followed the Trueno's insane entry speed into a right-handed corner. 'I can understand how you're undefeated, Midoriya Izuku!'

 

Fighting the steering for control, after shifting into third out of the corner, he smirked competitively.

 

'But you're in my territory, Gunma-boy!' his desire for victory flared. 'There's no way I'm going to let you win, with your rich-boy's engine!'

 

The two 4-AGE engines snarled threateningly at one another as the two cars charged through the mountain road.

 

Moments later, they reached the other end of the pass, and Denki watched as the two cars spun themselves around and swapped positions before driving back where they came from.

 

The third round has begun!

 

Midoriya Izuku's right foot was fully, hard down onto the floor as his will to win fueled his motivation to drive.

 

He was getting tired, but so must the other driver!

 

Clutch. Third gear. Gas down.

 

The surge of power pushing his car forward, up the hill was something he never thought he needed until now.

 

He truly appreciated this new car, his awesome, new Trueno - and so, he absolutely must win with it!

 

"Shit!"

 

He lost focus for a split-second, and his tyres ran over a cracked piece of road, sending his car bouncing across the asphalt while drifting through a left-hander!

 

He let off the gas gently and turned the wheel to the right harshly, and miraculously recovered from the fatal mistake.

 

… what happened there…? He was sure he aimed his car correctly-

 

… oh no…!

 

It had to be his tyres - they were getting overheated!

 

He stared at the Levin right in front of him - he had worked around many things, but he cannot work around loose tyres!

 

… can he even keep up, now?!

 

Red-lights!

 

Braking, downshifting and sending his car drifting into a right-bend, he felt that the steering definitely gotten a little looser and sluggish.

 

… dammit!

 

But wait, that Levin hasn't pulled away at all - in fact, he was catching up!

 

… of course, the other car _must_ also be having the same issues, since they were driving the same cars!

 

Even so, with the loss of grip, the race definitely gotten more taxing on the drivers and their safety!

 

… he still had to win.

 

He needed to win.

 

He was the faster driver.

 

He never felt the need to win so _badly_ before!

 

Especially now; if the race dragged on for longer - the worse the conditions will get for both of them!

 

And soon, this desire for victory had translated itself into a reckless move!

 

"... what the-?!" Shinsou Hitoshi noticed the headlights shine in his right-side mirror. "You're _kidding_ me!"

 

The Trueno was pulling up right beside him - which was a maneuver he had never seen or heard before to happen on this road!

 

The _only_ way to lose on Shoumaru was to get left behind!

 

You _cannot_ overtake here!

 

Izuku had remembered this part of the road as the widest bit of Shoumaru - and he fearlessly and recklessly squeezed his Trueno's nose into the gap left by the Levin although the road's width just fit two-and-a-half cars!

 

He floored the gas, and held his breath as his engine screamed way into the highest rev-range - 10,000… 11,000!

 

Into third gear!

 

But the Levin hasn't given up, either - with the driver fighting hard to keep his position even though the Trueno was edging closer.

 

A gentle left-hander was coming up, and he was on the inside; surely he can take the curve faster-

 

'VVORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHH!'

 

The Trueno accelerated?!

 

This was a _tight_ squeeze already!

 

He couldn't believe his own eyes when the other car edged ahead, and put his nose in front of his own nose - he couldn't step on it too hard as his turbo would spool and _instantly_ make him lose control!

 

… but what kind of cornering speed was that?!

 

Midoriya Izuku had brought the Eight-Six battle of wills to a sudden, abrupt and unexpected conclusion as his car pulled out ahead.

 

The Trueno took the lead, and there were no other place for the Levin make a move like that again, even if Shinsou Hitoshi dared to try it.

 

'... what a driver…' the purple-haired male stared in shock at the taillights in front of him. '... he's too cool for his age…'

 

And the two cars slowed down, after the two drivers had come to the same conclusion:

 

Haruna's Eight-Six won.

 

* * *

 

 

The panda Trueno pulled over to a stop next to their parked cars.

 

"Kacchan! I knew it had to be you!" smiled Izuku happily as he ran up towards him. "No other person drives a yellow FD other than you!"

 

"Tch." grumbled the Bakugou. "So, did you win?"

 

"Yeah, and Kacchan, you were right!" gushed the boy. "It really was 11,000 revolutions! You're amazing!"

 

"Of course I am, shitty Deku."

 

“... before you two get too carried away,” interrupted Kirishima Eijirou. “Where’s Denki?”

 

“Oh, I dropped him off at the entrance over that side.” Izuku pointed at a direction. “He’s waiting there.”

 

“I’ll pick him up and go home, have fun you two.” smiled the red Silvia driver, earning a shout from the blond.

 

They both watched as the Nissan started up and drove off relatively fast towards where Izuku first came into the mountain pass.

 

…

 

"Not bad for a _Deku_." grumbled Katsuki. "Let's go home."

 

"Yeah, I have deliveries in the morning." whined the younger male as they walked towards their vehicles. "It's gonna be past midnight by the time I get home."

 

"Floor it down the expressway, then."

 

"But that's dangerous, Kacchan!"

 

“Tch, then stop complaining and drive.”

 

And the two drivers made their way out of Shoumaru Touge, with the FD3S driving behind the AE86, observing the way the leading car drove.

 

For Bakugou Katsuki; watching Deku’s Eight-Six Trueno drive from behind made him feel at peace - which was the complete opposite months ago; when seeing that car made him feel angry and inadequate.

 

That car and driver made him grow not just as a racer, but also as a person.

 

And he wanted to watch that car win as long as he lived - and he wanted to win alongside it - he wanted Deku to be his partner in Todoroki Shouto’s ‘Project D’, because no one else was better.

  
He was Bakugou Katsuki; and he deserved the _best_ and nothing less.

* * *

 


	41. An Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An offer to join a racing team with Todoroki Shouto and Bakugou Katsuki was offered to Midoriya Izuku.

* * *

Autumn had fallen upon Japan in the year of 1997, and the leaves of Haruna had all turned yellow, and brown.

 

Dried, dead leaves littered the ground everywhere, and Midoriya Izuku swept the floor of the gas station, waiting for his shift to end.

 

"Welcome- oh…" Denki's voice died down as he recognised the car pulling into the station

 

A white FC…

 

"High-octane, fill it up."

 

Todoroki Shouto stepped out of his car, before walking up to Midoriya Izuku who stood aside.

 

"I have something to talk to you about." stated the owner of the RX-7. "Is now a good time to talk?"

 

"Uh… I don't think so…" came the response from the green-haired male. "I get off work a little later."

 

"I see. Then we'll meet after your work." Shouto handed him a small slip of paper. "Here's my number. Call me after you're done here."

 

"... s-sure…" he took the piece of paper.

 

And the Crystal White 1990 Mazda RX-7 drove away after paying for the fuel and service.

 

"Hey Izuku!" called out Kirishima Eijirou. "What did you two talk about?"

 

"Nothing… he just said he had something important to talk about."

 

"Hmm…" the red-haired male took notice of the other's reddened face. "Why are you blushing?"

 

"...!" panicked Izuku, as he scratched at his cheeks. "I don't know, he has an aura around him that makes me kinda nervous, I guess…"

 

After all, Todoroki Shouto was the one who was able to push him past his limits - the best driver he ever went up against.

 

That driver, had a strong aura about him that screamed his superiority.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Izuku stared with surprised eyes at the older, red-and-white haired male

 

"An out-of-prefecture racing team?"

 

That was what was said immediately after Izuku met up with Todoroki Shouto, at a street right near his house.

 

The RedSuns leader nodded, as he turned away from Izuku to stare at the stars, as if making a wish.

 

"Yes. A team consisting the best drivers of Gunma, and training them to their best by travelling to various touges in Japan to defeat local teams, and create an undefeated legend."

 

That sounded like an impossible task to Izuku - it would take the best driver in the world to do it.

 

"Up until now, you've been driving purely based on your instincts, and not really relying on any theories to back-up your driving." stated the Todoroki matter-of-factly. "This racing style of yours is very similar to my foster-brother - Katsuki."

 

"... Kacchan…?"

 

"I only have around a year left to realise this dream - long story short, Midoriya Izuku…" Shouto turned his head to make eye-contact with the younger male. "I want your technique!"

 

"Eh?!"

 

"Of course, if you join the team, I'll make it worthwhile for you." explained the rich medical student. "Fuel, tyres, and any maintenance to be done to your Eight-Six will be free-of-charge; all I ask of you is to drive for the team - with you handling the downhills, and Katsuki handling the hillclimbs."

 

_ He'd be driving alongside Kacchan if he joined…? _

 

"... that's…"

 

"You don't have to give me an answer now." smiled Todoroki Shouto as he walked towards his FC. "I need you to think this through; as it is a hard commitment."

 

To improve as a driver… racing fastest teams all throughout Japan...

 

"... I will think about it." Izuku watched as the RX-7's door opened up.

 

"Thank you." smiled Shouto. "I'll be waiting for your response - call me anytime."

 

The green-haired boy watched as the white Mazda started up, flipped open its headlights and drove off into the night.

 

… was he really good enough to drive in such conditions…?

 

No… not right now.

 

_ 'BAM!' _

 

_ Spinning… _

 

_ 'In the racing world, a blown engine means defeat, Midoriya.' _

 

He still had some unfinished business - and to settle that would determine if he really was worth the elite team.

 

He went up to the nearest payphone to dial Todoroki Shouto’s number - he needed to find out this certain  _ something _ .

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


A few evenings later, Bakugou Katsuki burst into the room of Todoroki Shouto with an urgent piece of news he just heard from Kirishima Eijirou.

 

"Oi, Shouto!" shouted the blond. "Did you hear that Deku's headed to fucking Irohazaka?!"

 

"Yes, I know about that." stated the male as he continued typing into his laptop, unaffected by the sudden racket. "I was the one who gave him the place, after all."

 

"You did?!"

 

"He asked for the home course of Yoarashi Inasa, and I simply gave him the location." the male finally turned around to face the other. "But I don't think the point of this race for him is for revenge."

 

"... is he going to test out his car against that Evo III?"

 

"That, and maybe something else - his adaptability against a strong opponent that made an impression on him as a racer." stated the older male with a gentle smile. “Midoriya; he lacks confidence and thinks he’s not good enough for us - so his actions now are a compliment to us; testing out his skills under the harshest conditions.”

 

"Deku's… fuck, he indeed has been insecure about his loss to the Evo III…" recalled Bakugou Katsuki.

 

Shouto nodded.

 

"Then; for Midoriya, this will be a rite of passage for him to figure out for himself whether if he thinks he is a driver worthy of 'Project D' - he’s a special one, this kid."

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


An Eight-Six Trueno drifted through the ultra-low speed, tight hairpin corners of the steep hill of Irohazaka.

 

Its rear tyres spun the car, guided by the weight shifted and the front wheels as the engine growled loudly.

 

'… so this is Irohazaka!' thought the driver as his body almost leaned forward due to the steep incline. 'This downhill… it's amazing…!'

 

On the map, he was confused when he saw two roads with the same name, but now he was here; it made sense.

 

There were two sets of one-way roads that served for the hillclimb and downhill separately!

 

The old Toyota made its way at a practice-pace down the roads of that mountain in Tochigi, as the local team of Lan-Evo racers recognised the car.

 

"Hey, isn't that…?" a guy pointed at the AE86 that drove past.

 

The car that managed to punk their number-two driver on Mount Haruna a few months back.

 

It spun around at the road divider and went into the route leading uphill.

 

"... yeah…" nodded his teammate. "We should inform Inasa."

 

The first Emperor took out his walkie-talkie.

 

"Base to peak, base to peak - there's a familiar car climbing uphill and going up to the peak - it’s probably the one Inasa-san’s been waiting for."

 

"Copy." spoke Fujimi Romero before he turned to the team leader. "Hear that?"

 

Yoarashi Inasa nodded - he had been waiting for this moment.

 

And a few minutes later, the Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX appeared, as its headlights - white and yellow - grew closer to them as it approached the parking lot.

 

Midoriya Izuku pulled to a stop in front of him and stepped out of the car, leaving the machine to idle in neutral next to him.

 

That car - it sounded different from what he remembered back on Akagi a few months back.

 

"You fixed your Eight-Six?" asked the Emperor with a frown, beginning the conversation. "I thought I said I wouldn't race you until you gotten yourself a better car."

 

However, instead of feeling insulted, Midoriya Izuku simply smiled as he knew what the facts were this time around - this new Eight-Six of his was  _ fast _ .

 

"This is a completely different car from before, and to me; this is a better car." explained the younger driver as he patted the hood of his Trueno. "Is that okay with you?"

 

Inasa observed that the green-haired boy looked  _ completely _ sure of what he just said - and the stance of the AE86, and sound definitely seemed different.

 

And that idling sound… it spelled out something ominously strange for him.

 

He decided to trust the other's reasoning.

 

"Sounds interesting. I'll accept your challenge." declared the Evo III driver. "Have you driven the course?"

 

Izuku nodded.

 

"Good, then let me explain how the rules go." spoke the local driver. "You'll start ahead of my Evo, and the finishing line will be at the end of the three bridges. Stay ahead, and you win. But if I manage to overtake you before that, I win. Any questions?"

 

Starting ahead had bothered him, since he had indeed gotten a more powerful engine - and what he has now was something even he himself wasn't sure what the full potential was.

 

"... about the starting-"

 

"If you're thinking of suggesting we start side-by-side, don't - because I'm the local here." interrupted the black-haired male as he opened the driver's door of the 4WD car. "Don't insult me, Midoriya. It wouldn't be much of a race unless I handicapped myself."

 

"... okay." agreed Izuku reluctantly.

 

"Then we'll line up our cars and settle our unfinished business. Set off anytime you're ready."

* * *

 


	42. Dry-Sump vs Misfiring System

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku decided that he has his own personal test to pass before joining the team Shouto offered.  
> For him, this race will decide his future.

* * *

The two Todoroki residents of the villa stood at the balcony outside the eldest son’s room, with both males leaning on the rails.

 

“The downhill of Irohazaka requires precise timing, and the strategy is very simple - with all the tight hairpins, you simply floor the gas in the low gears coming out of them.” spoke the red-and-white haired male. “This is disadvantageous for Midoriya; who excels in high-speed corners, so Inasa - who practices autocross frequently - has the clear advantage.”

 

“... tch, so shitty Deku’s gonna have a hard time.” grumbled the blond-haired male. “I know that already; tell me something else.”

 

“Well, I believe you heard of this by now; the strange engine that appeared in a small shop in Shibukawa.” mentioned Shouto, and Katsuki grunted in acknowledgement. “A Group-A, AE101 unit that produces 240 horsepowers - I’ve heard that it’s now sitting under the hood of Haruna’s Eight-Six.”

 

“It is.” confirmed Katsuki, popping a mint-flavoured gum into his mouth. “I’ve seen it. But I can't tell if it's been detuned for street use.”

 

“Then, _that_ is the factor that is impossible to calculate at this point - the ‘x’ factor.” stated Todoroki Shouto, staring at their parked cars below. “Midoriya’s Eight-Six with the new engine; is the unknown factor that will decide the outcome of the race on Irohazaka tonight.”

 

The driver of the FD3S kept silent, chewing on his gum.

 

Something was bothering him - and it was the fact that Yoarashi Inasa had the skills to defeat Deku before, even though he was driving a shittier car before.

 

This race was going to be tough for Deku.

 

“But even though that engine is a racing engine, it’s currently being used in a car _not_ built for the kind of speed the engine can deliver.” expounded Todoroki Shouto. “ _But_ if it all comes together right… Yoarashi Inasa _may_ lose on his own turf.”

 

“... if he does, then we know Deku’s car is for real.”

 

The two males stayed silent for a moment; before-

 

“When did you start chewing gum?”

 

“Don’t ask, and keep your fucking mouth shut.”

  


* * *

 

  


Yoarashi Inasa rode behind the white-and-black AE86 in his Evo III, and observed the way the leading car moved as they approached the first corner - a low-mid-speed, left-hander.

 

With the straight-line from the start to the first corner, he could tell that the Trueno had indeed gotten faster compared to the last time he saw it.

 

Braking for the left-hander, he followed the leading Toyota charging into the corner at a high entry speed.

 

‘The hell…?’

 

For some reason, the leading FR car was able to take the corners slightly _faster_ than his 4WD Mitsubishi!

 

And this slight difference in cornering speed was made clear as soon as they dove straight into the very first tight hairpin-right corner - with the AE86 entering it sideways while its engine roared out high and loud, spinning its rear tyres to make the turn.

 

Inasa braked, downshifted into second gear, and pulled the handbrake while steering to spin his car. Then, he stepped on his accelerator pedal straight to the floor; leaving it to the drivetrain and tyres to do the rest of the work.

 

Both cars fought their way out of the corner, with the leading Eight-Six nearly touching the outer guardrails as it pulled out of the curve.

 

He was evenly matched out of the exits, even with his 4WD system; and _what_ was that cornering speed?

 

It _wasn’t_ the speed of the Trueno's engine, but _something else_ …!

 

His Evo has 350 horsepower, but somehow… that Toyota was evenly matched against his 4WD, and misfiring anti-lag system…?!

 

He catches up on the short straights between corners, before they had to brake once more.

 

Another tight hairpin, and the AE86 entered it sideways and floored the gas out of the turn, and he lost some ground again throughout the turn, before catching up on the straights again.

 

_… what was going on here…?!_

  


* * *

 

  


“A racing engine usually always uses a dry-sump oil system.” recalled Todoroki Shouto. “You know the reason why they do?”

 

“Tch, of course.” grumbled Katsuki. "It's to pull down oil as low as possible to lower the centre-of-gravity of the car as much as possible."

 

"Correct. With a system like that, it allows the car to excel in cornering." explained the red-and-white haired male. "With Midoriya's skills, he can now do some seriously impressive cornering work."

 

"He'll match that fucking misfiring system Inasa-bastard has in his Evo III."

 

"Yes."

  


* * *

 

  


'... that's some extraordinary tuning!' deduced Yoarashi Inasa, following the speedy AE86 into the right-hander. 'That Eight-Six is _completely_ different now - I see what the kid meant.'

 

Flooring the gas pedal, he revved his 4G63T engine up to 7400 RPM as his CE9A pulled itself out of the corner.

 

' _But_ no matter how well you tune the car, an Eight-Six will _always_ be an Eight-Six!' he shifted into third gear as he got closer to the leading car. 'I won't lose to any car here - just like Todoroki Shouto rules Akagi, _I'm_ the Emperor of Irohazaka - I'm not known as the Whirlwind for nothing!'

 

'BAM BAM!'

 

The loud, intermittent sounds of the backfiring Lancer behind him made Izuku in his Eight-Six feel like he was being hunted down this steep hill of Tochigi by a menacing predator out for its prey!

 

He braked harshly to shift weight to the front and throw off the car's balance, forcing his Trueno to dive sideways into the hairpin-left corner as he floored his way through in second gear.

 

His engine screamed out on a high note as he charged out the corner.

 

He guided his car as close to the outer guardrails as possible when he exited to maximise straight-line speed for the stretches between turns.

 

10,000... 11,000!

 

Releasing the accelerator to quickly shift into third gear while engaging the clutch, he slammed the right-most pedal back onto the floor immediately after.

 

The bluish-white headlights of the chasing CE9A pressured him down the steep slopes of the winding roads of Irohazaka, and Izuku bravely kept up his speed while defending his line from any overtaking moves attempted by the chasing car.

 

All he had to do was drive as fast as he could down to the bottom of the hill and reach the third bridge as the leading car!

 

On the ultra-low speed hairpin turns of Irohazaka, it was not just a simple test of drifting down the mountain for Midoriya Izuku; as it was difficult to get the rear to slide out at low speeds.

 

The Lancer Evolution driven by Yoarashi Inasa was equipped with an enhanced handbrake, and its 4WD system paired along with it to allow the driver to handle tight corners _impeccably_ \- it was perfect for Irohazaka’s downhill.

 

But Izuku - on the other hand - didn’t even think of using the handbrake, as shifting the weight and flooring the accelerator was his _only_ option to keep up his speed and pace.

 

For any other driver who tried it; it might have resulted in disaster - but the boy who delivered tofu while gauging liquid movement in a cup for five years possessed incredible skills of weight-transfer!

 

‘From here onwards, the slopes will begin to level out into flat ground.’ Inasa turned his wheel right while pulling the handbrake to enter the hairpin corner. ‘The Eight-Six will definitely lose speed there.’

 

He floored the gas out of the corner, and smirked as his car reeled in the Trueno steadily without sweat.

 

'I applaud your attempt, Midoriya Izuku.' smirked Yoarashi Inasa as he shifted his Evo into third gear. 'But you're no more than an acrobat - there's no real speed in your car!'

 

The two different cars roared out fiercely as their drivers thrown them into the left-hander at maximum speed.

 

As he charged out of the mid-speed left-handed corner, Izuku noticed the white concrete construction once-blocked by brown trees through his windscreen.

 

'Bridge!' his green eyes widened as he realised what it signalled. 'The goal's getting close!'

 

He floored down the gas after putting his AE86 into third gear.

 

'The ultra-low speed section ends, and immediately thrusts us into a high-speed section!' Inasa positioned his Mitsubishi firmly behind the leading Toyota as his powerful engine worked to reel in the Trueno. 'Your sense of speed has gotten used to the slow hairpins, and you definitely won't be able to adjust to the sudden increase in speed! _Unless_ …'

 

He let off the gas and put down his left foot in order to shift into third gear, as their cars reached the second bridge at speeds above 100 km/h.

 

'Unless you're Todoroki Shouto… Akagi's White Comet!’ He stared with serious eyes at the back of the Eight-Six; as if challenging it. ‘He's the _only_ one who managed to switch between the speed ranges in an instant!'

 

As Izuku floored the gas fearlessly through the second bridge, he felt no response from all four wheels for a moment - just a _moment_ \- as he left the second bridge with the CE9A hot on his tail.

 

And then, a bump shook his car, and he fought the steering wheel - guiding his beloved Sprinter Trueno into the inside of the road as it curved right, closer to the cliffside and away from the ravine separated by a guardrail.

 

… his car _jumped_?! He was going fast enough to get a little air from that _tiny_ _bump_?!

 

He had let go of the gas to regain control for a second as the view of the road leading up to the third bridge was presented to him - a series of twists and turns!

 

A flash of bluish headlights caught his green eyes - the Lan-Evo had stuck its nose where the gap was left next to him!

 

And it was getting _closer_ \- both the opponent and the finish-line!

 

'Your fear of getting thrown led you to take the inside!' deduced Inasa as he positioned his car to the left of the Eight-Six. 'That's your mistake - inside and outside will be swapped right into the third bridge - it's my _usual_ finish! Victory is _mine_!'

 

As Izuku continued charging ahead, he noticed that the 4WD Lancer will definitely be able to take lead at this speed, during the left-turn into the third bridge!

 

With the twisting way this road was constructed - it was series of mid-speed corners, and he could only depress the accelerator at its halfway point!

 

The 350 HP opponent was right next to him now, and threatened to take his lead while leaving just a car's space for him on the outside where he was driving!

 

He felt cornered, claustrophobic, and the road ahead was-

 

"GO!" screamed the green-haired boy as he slammed down the gas pedal.

 

His rear tyres immediately kicked into action and spun the car into a low-angle, four-wheel drift with the driver holding it steady with nothing other than the wheel!

 

'VVORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHH'

 

"WHAT?! YOU'RE KIDDING!" exclaimed Inasa as his eyes grew wide and his blood ran cold - the Toyota was accelerating?! "YOU _CAN'T_ TURN AT THAT SPEED! ARE YOU TRYING TO _DIE_?!"

 

The rear-right fender of the AE86 edged dangerously close to the walls of the bridge as its rear tyres threatened to lose grip at any second - but Midoriya Izuku continued flooring the gas while holding his breath!

 

It was definitely a _suicidal_ move with no escape zone!

 

"Turn, _please_ turn…!" he willed his car with wide-open eyes as he guided the steering wheel for the Trueno to do exactly what he wanted. "TURN, _MY_ _EIGHT-SIX_!"

 

The nose of the old Toyota inched ahead of the rally-tuned Evolution!

 

Yoarashi Inasa froze up with shock as the Eight-Six _matched_ his speed completely even though it was on the outside of the corner!

 

Other than that - he felt his car lean to the left as his left-side tyres went right up to the very edge of the road, forced into position by the drifting AE86!

 

The road straightened up along with the drifting Trueno, before presenting the two duelists with the final high-speed, right-hand corner of Irohazaka.

 

Instead of losing control, that Eight-Six Trueno was now a car’s nose ahead of him, with its new engine screaming out its will to win!

 

The leader of team Emperor surveyed the road ahead with shocked eyes as his advantage was turned around in an _instant_ by the reckless move of his insane opponent.

 

They were both speeding right into the curve!

 

"... can I make it?!"

 

…

 

...

 

…!

 

… his foot left the gas pedal, and the Evo III slowed down.

* * *

 


	43. An Obsession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remember that phone call that caused Izuku to appear at Akagi that fateful night and blow up his engine?  
> People get obsessive.

* * *

The two cars - black and white - who had just been going at full-throttle no more than a minute ago slowed down and parked themselves at the side of the road.

 

“Midoriya Izuku…” began Yoarashi Inasa after he faced the other driver in order to talk. “The third bridge - if you stepped back and saw the way it curved to the left - a  _ normal _ Eight-Six wouldn’t have been able to make the turn, and a  _ normal _ driver wouldn’t even dare to try it.”

 

“...”

 

“Were you  _ sure _ that you were able to make the turn?”

 

“I… I could  _ sort-of _ tell, with the way my car was handling at the time.” Izuku tried to explain - but he couldn’t quite put it into words what exactly he felt at that moment. “I saw the line that my Eight-Six was able to take, so I went for it and floored the gas.”

 

Feeling the safety-belt's restraints acting on his body, and the amount of grip he felt from the tyres and making the spur-of-the-moment decision to charge head-on with the reckless move.

 

Unknown to Midoriya Izuku - the move he pulled off minutes ago was the very same move that Bakugou Katsuki had used against Tokoyami Fumikage on Myougi a few months back - the green-haired boy just didn’t know where it came from.

 

It also spoke lengths about how much trust Izuku had put into his recently-resurrected friend, even though it revived with a different personality - he trusted his life to the car.

 

“I see…” responded Yoarashi Inasa, before he turned to glance at the idling Eight-Six, sitting innocently on the road with its headlights popped open. “That’s a very mysterious car you have - and not just anyone can drive it.”

 

“... you really think so?”

 

“Yes, and you win, Midoriya Izuku.” announced the leader of team Emperor as he opened the driver’s door of his black Evo III. “You impressed me, and I concede defeat.”

 

As he shifted his car into the first gear and began to drive away; something that had been bothering him was made crystal-clear to him at that moment he depressed the gas pedal.

 

He was not expecting this kind of treatment when he heard from a certain FC driver that Haruna's downhiller was back in action and looking to race him.

 

_ Midoriya Izuku _ \- that kid was no ordinary driver; and he understood  _ why _ Todoroki Shouto and Bakugou Katsuki were so interested in him.

 

The driver of Haruna’s Eight-Six… with a few years and the correct teachings, he’d grow into a full-fledged racer; the  _ best _ the world will ever see!

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The water in the cup spun wildly - while staying in the cup - as he sent the car into a drift down the mountain roads early in the morning.

 

The driver smirked at the cup while shooting it a side-glance as his focused on his movements and how it affected the car's balance.

 

The yellow sports Mazda charged down the steep slope of Akagi’s mountain roads - and it looked absolutely relaxed and laid-back if you were watching from the outside.

 

Bakugou Katsuki was satisfied.

 

_ Finally _ \- after a month of doing this nearly everyday, he could finally drift and drive fast without spilling the water!

 

This way of driving - it forced him to be gentle with every little thing in the FD - accelerating  braking and using the clutch - they all had to be done perfectly.

 

He had to be smooth as  _ silk  _ with every little touch of the controls.

 

Deku's not the only one that can do this now!

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The green-haired boy - Midoriya Izuku - yawned out loud as he opened up his locker during recess to get his wallet.

 

He barely gotten home by 2 A.M. after the race against Yoarashi Inasa on Irohazaka…

 

He recalled what the other driver had said the previous night - his new  _ car _ was good - but  _ not necessarily _ himself; and this fueled his desire to improve.

 

Yoarashi Inasa had declared that he was the winner - but he didn’t feel like it; with him being given the head-start and all.

 

It felt more like a tie.

 

He wanted to drive faster. Go faster. Be better.

 

His mind was made up - he wanted to join Todoroki Shouto’s team, and drive alongside Kacchan - drive alongside amazing, skilled drivers that can help him improve and grow as a racer.

 

But before that - now, currently - he was walking down the hallways of the school with his classmate and friend: the yellow-haired S13 owner, Kaminari Denki.

 

“Hey Izuku, where’d you go last night?” asked his friend as they stopped by a notice-board with various posters pinned on it. “I called your house but you didn’t answer.”

 

“I-” another uncontrollable yawn. “I went to-”

 

“Hello, excuse me!” called out a female as the figure hopped towards them gleefully. “I have a class project for the culture festival this year, and we polled the results for ‘High School’s cutest male student’!”

 

… wait, has he heard that voice from  _ somewhere _ before…?

 

“You - Midoriya Izuku.” grinned the girl as she pointed at the green-haired boy. “You came in second-place amongst all the third-year boys!”

 

“WHAT?!” exclaimed both boys.

 

“What about me?!” asked Denki as he pointed at himself excitedly. “Where’d I come in?”

 

The girl then flipped through her stapled list of papers.

 

“You’re like, twenty-something.” stated the cheerful girl - but her happy demeanor bothered Izuku somehow. “Anyway; I have a questionaire for you to fill up, Izuku-kun!”

 

… her voice  _ still _ sounded familiar, but he was very,  _ very _ sure he had  _ never _ seen this girl before in his life, as he stared at the piece of paper shoved into his chest.

 

“I’ll stop by later to get it from you after school!” and the girl left. “Meet me on the rooftop!”

 

… that was weird-

 

Wait.

 

He remembered  _ exactly _ where he heard that voice before! That voice - it was the same as…

 

He turned to face the yellow-haired Kaminari Denki; who had been whining and complaining about not being at least in the top-10 cutest category.

 

“Hey, Denki…” began Izuku, snapping the other out of his complaints. “Do you know that girl?”

 

“I’ve seen her around; I think...” the yellow-haired boy tried to recall, before suddenly brightening up. “Oh yeah! I seen her walking with Uraraka Ochako quite a few times, actually - she must be from her class.”

 

… Uraraka Ochako...?!

 

_ ‘Now I know who she is…!’ _

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Business is good, I see.”

 

“Yes, but you didn’t come to buy tofu, Toshinori.” smiled the green-haired woman - Midoriya Inko. “What do you want to talk about?”

 

“It’s about Izuku - he’s going to join a racing team.” informed Yagi Toshinori. “You have anything against that?”

 

“No.” came the unexpected reply.

 

“... wait, what…?”

 

“I realise it now; Toshinori - that it is not my place to control what my son does.” spoke the mother of Izuku as she cut up tofu into perfect cubes. “He will do whatever he needs to do; and all I ask of him is to come home safe by the end of the day.”

 

The woman’s demeanor did not betray whatever words that just came out of her mouth - she was completely at ease as she continued working her chores to run the tofu shop in the afternoon.

 

“... you’ve changed, Inko.” smiled the old blond. “Racing makes Izuku happy, you know.”

 

“I know.” came the response. “That’s why I’m fully supporting him in his path now, regardless of whatever happened in the past.”

 

"Inko… He'd be really happy to know that."

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


As promised, Midoriya Izuku went up to the rooftop of the school after classes ended for the day.

 

She was already there.

 

“... before I hand in this form to you…” began the green-haired boy, holding the paper in hand. “It was you, wasn’t it?”

 

The girl simply continued her smile.

 

“ _ You _ were the one who made that call to my house-” deduced Midoriya Izuku. “-and outed Uraraka Ochako.”

 

That name still tasted incredibly bitter in his mouth.

 

“She’s not good for you, Midoriya Izuku.” grinned the girl. “Someone like that doesn’t deserve you - you deserve someone better.”

 

“... how did you find out about that?” asked the boy as he stared outside the windows. “About the Benz… and what she was doing.”

 

“Not important, Izuku-darling.” she cooed while snatching the filled form out of the boy’s hand. “But I’ll tell you - that Benz - it’s the car that belongs to my  _ family _ \- Need me to spell it out for you?”

 

… damn...

 

… so her father was-

 

“I’m Toga Himiko - by the way, since you never asked.” giggled the disturbed female as she skipped away. “But now, with you and my dad out of the picture - Ochako-dear can finally be  _ mine _ !”

 

The schoolgirl departed while giggling - and it bothered Izuku very,  _ very _ much.

 

He didn’t know whether to be thankful for being shown who the true colours of Uraraka Ochako, or be resentful as she was the reason for the end of his relationship - so he settled for indifference and made his way to the parking lot to drive his Trueno back home.

 

He was glad he had the day off from the gas station that day - he desperately, desperately needed some sleep and rest, especially after this rollercoaster of a day in school.

 

The 4-AGE engine rumbled to life.

* * *

 


	44. Join Me, Deku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katsuki makes a personal visit.

* * *

He was sat there for- he doesn’t know how long, he had lost track of time - in the drowsy, foggy morning of Mount Haruna.

 

The sun barely rose, gently illuminating the roads and revealing the browned greenage that would have been too dark to see in the night.

 

His precious yellow FD was parked and turned off, and he sat on the hood of the Mazda while waiting for the car he wanted to see to appear.

 

He hoped he hadn't missed the delivery.

 

And half a minute later, he finally heard the distant sounds of a singing 4-cylinder engine accompanied by the occasional squeals of rubber against the asphalt.

 

The sounds grew louder and louder slowly, and in the quiet morning of Japan, he could imagine how Deku drove his Eight-Six down this mountain just with the sound alone.

 

Flawless. Flowing. Smooth. Controlled.

 

… grazing past the guardrails by a hair's breadth while exiting the corner leaving barely a finger's gap between the car and the wall.

 

Like an _angel_ gracing the roads.

 

 _Fuck_ \- he was getting distracted. The Trueno was getting louder and closer by the second.

 

And soon, the headlights of the old Toyota driven by the young male appeared out of the corner.

 

White pop-up headlights accompanied by the yellow aftermarket fog-lights.

 

He stood up, and the white-and-black AE86 slowed down and came to a stop right in front of him and his FD3S.

 

The driver stepped out with a confused look clear on his freckled face.

 

"... Kacchan…?" spoke Izuku as he closed the door. "What are you doing here…?"

 

...

 

"... I heard you won against Yoarashi Inasa on his home turf, huh." came the words out from his mouth - it was just an excuse to get the conversation started. "Not bad, for a Deku."

 

The younger male suddenly appeared less sleepy and more energetic.

 

"... wait, how did you know about that?"

 

"News like that spreads fast." stated the blond-haired male. "Anyway, I didn't come looking for you here just to congratulate you."

 

Bakugou Katsuki suddenly let out a long sigh, as if relieving his nerves.

 

"I'm only going to say this once," said the Mazda driver. "so you better fucking listen."

 

"... okay…"

 

Midoriya Izuku watched the other male walked up towards the guardrail to get a view of the scenery.

 

...

 

"I'm aiming to be the best fucking driver the world's ever seen." the blond's red eyes stared out into the horizon from where they stood. "Starting next spring; I'll blow everyone off the roads with nothing other than my FD. Then, I'll go pro - and beat _everyone_ there too."

 

Izuku simply stared in awe as the other male spoke out his dreams - his aspirations.

 

"... including you, Deku." his head finally turned to acknowledge him. "I'll beat you too, after _we_ defeat every street racer in Japan - if you join me."

 

It was impressive. It was ridiculous. It was _heroic_.

 

"And then this 'one year' Shouto offered you - will be nothing more than you getting prepared for your defeat when I beat you" the blond smirked widely, showing teeth. "So join us - join _me_ , and we'll show the world what we're capable of, before we face off against each other - it'll be the _ultimate_ showdown."

 

Instead of being intimidated and backing down, the green eyes of Midoriya Izuku stared right back at him - and he _liked_ that look of challenge.

 

He liked it a _lot_.

 

"... I'll make sure you never get the chance, Kacchan…" smiled the green-haired driver of the AE86. "I aim to be better than you!"

 

The blond's smirk grew wider - fonder.

 

"It's a promise, then." declared Katsuki as he opened the driver's door of his yellow RX-7. "Join the team, shitty Deku."

 

The yellow door slammed shut.

 

Starting up with a roar, the Mazda FD3S belonging to Bakugou Katsuki revved up before it spun around while turning on its headlights, leaving Izuku to stare at it while it drove away further and further before it disappeared.

 

"... you're amazing, Kacchan…" whispered out the boy to the sound of the fading 13B. “Too amazing…!”

 

He stared at the horizon getting lit up by rising sun - where Bakugou Katsuki had been looking at just mere minutes ago.

 

The city of Shibukawa had begun to liven up; as the light and heat from the sun gave it life.

 

‘... I’ll join you, Kacchan.’ thought Izuku, with the sound of his idling Eight-Six reassuring him. ‘We’ll be the best… _together_!’

  


* * *

 

  


God, he wanted to slap himself.

 

Or drive into a gas station and explode everything.

 

He sounded so cheesy; so needy back there - it was almost like he was going there to ask the shitty nerd to date him instead of join the team.

 

But he wasn’t thinking anymore - he had willed himself and said what he wanted to say to Midoriya Izuku since the summer, and now his veins were full of adrenaline from the speech he just made for that single person.

 

Now it was up to the boy to decide - and he _prayed_ that he would join the team.

 

Because Bakugou Katsuki couldn’t imagine anyone else driving alongside him - nobody else was good enough for him; nobody else could drive a car like it was an extension of their own body other than Midoriya Izuku.

 

Nobody, other than Deku.

 

He didn't want anyone else - if anyone else joined Project D - he'd leave and leave Shouto to find his own drivers.

 

Deku was the only one good enough to keep up with him.

  


* * *

 

  


The day at the gas station went by uneventfully - it was just a normal day of work.

 

He stared at the yellow evening sky of autumn.

 

'Join me, Deku.'

 

That phrase had been repeating in his head since morning, and he couldn't stop thinking about it.

 

He was going to graduate high school this year, and driving was the thing he was damn good at.

 

And now that he thought about that offer made to him a few days ago - he wondered why he hesitated, because it honestly was an incredible offer.

 

He'd make the call soon, definitely.

 

"Welcome!" greeted Kirishima Eijirou, tending to the customer immediately.

 

A Toyota pulled into the gas station - a 1996 MR2 painted in Nautical Blue Metallic.

 

"Hi, I'll have a full-tank of high-octane, thanks." smiled the driver - a male with black, long, messy curls not unlike Izuku. "I heard I can find the driver of Haruna's Eight-Six here?"

 

"Oh." the red-haired male turned his head to look at the Midoriya boy. "Hey, Izuku - someone's looking for you!"

 

So he walked over, as the driver of the SW20 gotten out of the car.

 

And immediately had his hand taken and shaken.

 

"I've heard so much about you, Midoriya Izuku!" smiled the male. "I'm a racer from Nikko, Irohazaka - Shindou You!"

 

"... hi…?"

 

His hand was then let go after the greeting, allowing them to fall at his sides.

 

"And I've heard about you defeating Yoarashi Inasa…" the MR2 driver suddenly became serious. "... who was my initial target!"

 

"... you're looking for me because I raced against Inasa-san?" reiterated the green-haired boy.

 

"Yes." nodded You. "Since you've taken my target, my target has now become you. We'll race on Irohazaka, and nowhere else."

 

"... that's fine, by me." replied the Midoriya.

 

"And we race this Saturday." he set the date. "If that's okay with you."

 

"Sure." Midoriya Izuku nodded. "Is 10 at night okay with you?"

 

"Yes." confirmed the SW20 driver. "I'll see you then."

 

After the fuel was put into the tank and the mysterious new challenger had paid for the services provided, the blue Toyota left and drove out onto the main avenue.

 

Saturday was only a few days away.

  


* * *

 

  


Izuku was surprised when he saw Competition Yellow Mica again - parked right outside of his house on race-day's night.

 

"Kacchan?" the blond was just getting out of the FD. "Are you here for tofu? We're closed for the day…"

 

"Tch, no." grumbled the red-eyed driver. "I'm here to warn you about something."

 

"... yeah?"

 

"A blue MR2 came to challenge you recently, didn't it?" asked Bakugou Katsuki, and the green-haired boy nodded. "He's going to be a tough driver to beat; maybe the toughest you seen so far, Deku."

 

"What do you mean, Kacchan?"

 

"You remember the guy who drives the shitty white Evo IV that defeated many drivers here on Gunma, months back?" a nod. "He got defeated on Irohazaka's downhill _easily_ by that SW."

 

"... really?!"

 

That spelt out trouble. Izuku remembered the way he struggled just to even catch that Evo IV back on Mount Haruna.

 

If it weren't for his knowledge of the course and the ditch-driving technique he mastered that could only be done on Haruna, he would have lost.

 

This 'Shindou You'...

 

He must be a really fast driver - perhaps even faster than Yoarashi Inasa!

* * *

 


	45. The Wild-Card

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku heads to Irohazaka to race this mysterious new competitor.

* * *

A certain red Nissan Silvia followed Haruna's Eight-Six all the way to Nikko, with a certain yellow-haired passenger in the other front seat.

 

"Have you heard about his opponent?" asked the red-haired boyfriend of Kaminari Denki. “The SW driver from a few days ago.”

 

"No, why?"

 

"I heard he's a really fast driver that used to drive in go-kart races as a child." recalled the driver as he followed a second behind the Trueno up the mountain. "And since Yoarashi was his initial target, he decided to race Izuku instead."

 

"... so this person has more racing experience than Izuku?!"

 

"... I guess so…"

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The team of Emperor were on the hill that night; having heard that one of their local teamless drivers was going to be taking on the Eight-Six.

 

The blue MR2 appeared at the parking lot, and Shindou You had stepped out of the small car.

 

"You're here, cocky kid." sneered Fujimi Romero, not happy with the presence of the other male. "Let me tell you first, whatever you got up your sleeves - you  _ won't _ be able to win against that Eight-Six."

 

"I'm not here to race any of you, Fujimi-san." stated the driver of the midship car. "I'm simply here to say I'll race Midoriya Izuku for the sake of Irohazaka local racers."

 

"Oh?" the Evo IV driver seemed agitated and stepped forward, but the driver of the older Lancer stopped his teammate.

 

"Let him do that, Romero." placated Inasa. "I say this would be an interesting race to watch regardless."

 

"Tch." he complied, but shot another glare at the younger driver regardless. "Whatever you say, boss."

 

If Shindou You won this race; it would immediately signify that he's better than the entirety of the Emperor combined - everyone that the Eight-Six beaten; Shindou You was  _ better. _

 

_ If he won. _

 

"The Eight-Six is here!" announced someone standing far away.

 

The driver of the MR2 smiled as the sounds of the arriving cars grew louder.

 

"Finally…"

 

And after a few minutes, the two Toyotas belonging to two completely different eras lined up side-by-side on the starting line of Irohazaka’s downhill stage.

 

The two competing drivers of that night stood outside their cars before the race began.

 

“Thanks for coming out here tonight.” smiled Shindou You, looking directly into the eyes of Midoriya Izuku. “Do you need to take a look at the course?”

 

“I already did…” replied the green-haired boy. “I came here early, and did a lap already.”

 

“I see, then let me explain the way this race will go.” You averted his eyes to stare at the road that would take them both downhill. “We start at the same time, and the goal will be at the end of the third bridge. You okay with that?”

 

A nod.

 

“Then, let’s get started.” the MR2 driver opened the driver’s door of his midship car.

 

And he turned his head around again to stare silently at the parked AE86 next to him and the driver who was taking off his green windbreaker.

 

‘I didn’t feel it back at the gas station…’ recalled the black-haired male. ‘But now that he’s here, I can feel it - this guy’s fast!’

 

Although he didn’t really want to do ‘it’, but feeling that undeniable aura radiating off the young driver of the Trueno made him think twice - he probably needed to do that in order to win.

 

With the decision made, he sat down on his driver’s seat and closed the door before buckling himself into the Recaro bucket seat.

 

With the two drivers in their cars; the race was ready to be started.

 

Kirishima Eijirou had decided to take the initiative to start the countdown and stood in front of the two cars; since none of the teams there were involved in the race that night.

 

He stared for a moment at the two sets of glaring headlights in the dark night, before raising up his right hand to start the race.

 

“Starting in five!”

 

And the two sets of Toyota engines began to rev up - it was the 3S-GTE versus the mysterious 4-AGE.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Mazdas. RX7s. RedSuns.

 

The sound of whirring wankel engines occupied the night air as the two cars arrived unexpectedly.

 

The Rotary Brothers were here - and the two white and yellow cars parked side-by-side, right next to each other in the big parking lot on the peak of Irohazaka.

 

“You’re just in time, Shouto.” commented Inasa as his rival stepped out of his FC. “What brought you here?”

 

“I heard there was going to be an interesting battle tonight.” Todoroki Shouto threw the Bakugou a quick side-glance (who immediately rolled his eyes). “So I came out here to see what’s what.”

 

The Evo III driver stared, before he smiled.

 

“Do as you like.” stated Yoarashi Inasa, as a harsh gust of wind suddenly blew by them without warning, carrying along dried, dead leaves in the currents.

 

The leaves scattered all throughout the roads of Irohazaka as they got carried by the invisible force of the season.

 

“The wind…” observed the FC3S driver, as the nearby trees shedded more browned leaves. “It’s strong tonight…”

 

“It could be dangerous, this race.” Yoarashi Inasa squatted down to pick up a single dried leaf in his hand. “Dried leaves are surely going to pile up along the roads…”

 

Then, the leader of team Emperor huffed with amusement as he let go of the leaf and stood up.

 

“This race - at a critical moment…” spoke Inasa as he looked at Shouto. “... might be decided by these leaves; of all things.”

 

The heterochromatic eyes of Todoroki Shouto stared at the brown leaf as it fell from the Evo III driver’s hand, moving calmly along the ground before it got swept away by another gust of wind.

 

“... the unpredictable leaves, huh…”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


"GO!" shouted the red-haired male as he swung his right hand down.

 

'VVVORRRRRRHHHHHHHHH!'

 

And the two powerful Toyotas burst out all their power as they dashed off the starting line, blowing harsh wind against him in their wake.

 

Eijirou's body twisted as his eyes followed where the two cars charged ahead to.

 

Izuku's Eight-Six was pulling ahead…?!

 

'Amazing…' thought the RedSuns racer, as the two cars began to get obscured by trees and the mountain walls.

 

The midship SW20 should've been faster off the line due to the engine's weight giving the rear tyres traction, but the Eight-Six's new engine could match it!

 

A stock 3S-GTE was able to produce around 240 HP, and the new engine of the AE86 could match up!

 

'I wasn't expecting that kind of speed!' You watched as the other Toyota slowly inched ahead. 'That's definitely not a normal Eight-Six!'

 

Approaching the first corner at a high speed, Izuku sent his FR Toyota into a four-wheel drift as his front bumper grazed the mountain wall, while the MR Toyota kept to a steady line with minimal sliding.

 

With the engine mounted near the middle of the car, the SW20 was prone to oversteer when weight shifted to the front during braking.

 

Without careful ministrations of the controls; the car would definitely spin suddenly without warning!

 

The two cars charged out of the corner and made their way towards the beginning of the ultra-low speed hairpin curves.

 

Although he planned on taking it easy on the gas to give the other the lead, his foot was forced to step at full-throttle when he realised the Eight-Six was more powerful than he thought.

 

But that was all; his strategy will stay the same - it'll be a one-hit K.O. when he passes this speedy Trueno from behind!

* * *

 


	46. Local Specialty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Irohazaka has a special trait only the local racers know how to exploit.

* * *

"I just received a report." spoke the number-two of team Emperor. "The guys stood at corner 52 said the SW is chasing."

 

The two Mazda drivers exchanged looks at each other - as if saying that they expected that.

 

"That Shindou You's all talk." sneered Fujimi Romero. "Even Inasa couldn't beat the Eight-Six…"

 

"I wonder if so." came the unexpected remark from Inasa himself. "Shindou must have some kind of strategy."

 

Bakugou Katsuki looked away in the distance, as if uninterested in the current conversation.

 

"Strategy…?" Todoroki Shouto raised an eyebrow. "Do you mean…"

 

"Yes. That." confirmed the rival. "The special line that can only be taken here on Irohazaka."

 

Most of the locals know about this ‘special’ line, that can only happen here in Irohazaka and nowhere else - a line used to overtake aggressively near the end of the hairpin sections!

 

And furthermore, it was a line that was impossible to block - a line that ensured 100% chance of success.

 

"During my race with Midoriya, I refused to take the line as my pride was on the line." recalled the driver of the Evo III. "But since Shindou has no qualms like that, he might very well go along with it."

 

And if he did, the AE86's lead will come to a sudden and abrupt end!

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


'I wonder what kind of tuning he's got in his Eight-Six…' thought Shindou You as he followed the AE86 and floored the gas out of the right-hand corner. 'It turns well, and recovers incredibly - and it's not just his driving!'

 

Clutch down. Third gear. Accelerator down. Eyes on the road and the car ahead as his hand felt the response from the front wheels.

 

Dried leaves were scattered nearly everywhere on the downhill path of Irohazaka, and both drivers had a difficult time keeping their car in control - like threadwalking.

 

If the tyres caught them, they'll slip.

 

'It's so hard to drive…!' grimaced Izuku as a left-handed hairpin presented itself as he stared at the piles of dead leaves on the corner entrance. 'Rather than drifting the car on my own, I should let the leaves spin me around!'

 

He steered right into the leaves, and his tyres immediately lost traction as he ran over them while braking and shifting down into second while steering back to the left.

 

'VVVRRRRRRHHHHHH!'

 

But instead of losing control, he used the momentary loss of traction from the leaves kicked up by the tyres to spin his car into the left hairpin sharply, at a higher speed than what he might have achieved back during the race against the Evo III!

 

The leaves swept up by the leading Trueno rubbed against the blue MR2's windscreen before it got blown away by the wind as he entered the turn after the other.

 

'How reckless!' You spun his car using the upset of balance into the corner. 'Using the slippery road as an easier means of drifting on!'

 

With his left foot on the brake, he gently stepped on it to correct any imbalance in the unpredictable midship car before he floored the gas out the corner, hot on the tail of the Sprinter Trueno.

 

Although the MR2 was excellent in exiting corners due to the weight of the engine pressing down on the driving wheels; it was extremely easy to lose control on the entry into corners; especially after a braking maneuver.

 

As an ex-kart driver, Shindou You is used to having his left foot controlling the brakes, and it is a technique he uses to regain balance of the blue Toyota!

 

However; though he was skilled…

 

He followed the Trueno ahead as they both charged sideways into another hairpin corner with the engine at full-throttle to spin the rear wheels.

 

With every turn of a hairpin, Shindou You witnesses the amount of sheer speed and skill that the Eight-Six driven by Midoriya Izuku can carry through the corners!

 

And with the technique of using the dried leaves to drift - it shown him that the Eight-Six was very adaptable to even harsh conditions.

 

A half-assed trick would not be enough to beat this guy.

 

He had to make it count.

 

They were now approaching the mid-section of the course, where the hairpin corners get steeper after these gentler turns!

 

The more he drove behind this Trueno, the more he felt like he would get left behind if he doesn't overtake soon - so he floored the gas completely and his traction on the rear tyres allowed him to gain on the Trueno on these faster corners.

 

'Something's changed…' Izuku took a peek into the rear-view mirror, suddenly aware of the closeness of the lights behind. 'He suddenly got up close; he must be planning something…!'

 

The pressure he felt all of a sudden radiating from his rear through his seat was unmistakable as the next hairpin corner approached.

 

The eyes of Shindou You widened as his pupils caught the line where he wanted to take.

 

“Here!”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The communication channels suddenly became congested with excited reports.

 

“What?” yelled Romero into his walkie-talkie. “Repeat that again, calm yourselves down!”

 

“The- the SW had overtaken the Eight-Six, on the inside of the corner!” repeated the members of Emperor stationed at corner 33. "He took the jump!"

 

“He really did it, huh…” smiled Yoarashi Inasa as he shook his head amusedly. “That guy… he might even beat Midoriya Izuku.”

 

The figure sitting down on the bonnet of the Crystal White FC3S stared.

 

“I disagree, Inasa.” stated Todoroki Shouto with honesty. “Shindou might have overtaken Midoriya, but it doesn’t mean that he wins automatically.”

 

“... but he has a better chance now, doesn’t he?”

 

“That may be the case.” answered the FC driver. “But he made his move too early in my opinion.”

 

Yoarashi Inasa took his words into consideration and decided that - yes, making the overtaking move at corner 33 might have been a little too early; but it was difficult to overtake another car on the roads of Irohazaka.

 

“Early moves made by an opponent allows you some time to recover mentally." stated the Todoroki. "Midoriya hasn’t lost this race yet.”

 

Bakugou Katsuki was strangely silent throughout the entire conversation, as the blond frowned.

 

He turned his focus to the moon.

 

'Remember what I said, Deku!'

 

Then he smirked.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Midoriya Izuku stared at the set of taillights on the blue Toyota now driving ahead of him and currently trying to outdrive him like a bat-out-of-hell.

 

“... tch!” his grip on the steering wheel tightened.

 

… what happened, back there…?!

 

He was entering the right-handed hairpin corner sideways like he always did, and all of a sudden; a flash of headlights from the right glared at him before the opponent’s car charged ahead to jump the gap caused by the steep incline as the corner turned.

 

It cut the corner through the grass, and jumped the cliff created by the different in road height.

 

Bright sparks flew as the MR2 landed, but it was an overtake that was as instant and shocking as it came.

 

He didn’t even know that this road could be driven like  _ that _ !

 

Feeling frustration rise up from within, he clutch-kicked as he downshifted into second gear to chase after the blue Toyota, trying his darndest to close up every inch of gap the leading car was able to open up between them.

 

Like hell he’ll lose this easily!

 

He tossed his car into the right-handed hairpin, hell-bent on reeling in the speedy MR2 ahead of him who passed him earlier without warning!

 

"Tch!" the lights in his mirrors grew brighter as the car behind upped its pace. "He gotten faster after being overtaken…?!"

 

The two cars scrambled their way through yet another hairpin after entering it sideways.

 

And indeed, it wasn't his imagination - the Eight-Six had gotten closer to his MR2 after just clearing  _ two  _ hairpin corners.

 

"I guess one jump is not enough…" thought You as his car rapidly approached yet another right-handed hairpin. "Since I've already shown him the move; there's no point holding back now!"

 

As Izuku braked and downshifted his car; he noticed that the MR2 ahead had braked earlier and spun his car towards the right harsher and earlier than expected.

 

He couldn't react in time, and he watched as the blue Toyota ahead's rear tyres scrambled as it took yet another jump while his car entered the hairpin sideways.

 

He was taking the orthodox line as per usual, and the gap he worked so hard to close up widened once more clearly, as the SW20 landed perfectly with a loud 'BUMP!'.

 

He floored the gas out of the corner as the MR2 now appeared further ahead as compared to a second ago.

 

Not good…!

 

He shifted into third after his ears recognised the pitch to change gears at as he kept his eyes firmly on the blue Toyota ahead.

 

And the MR2 took the inside line once more the next hairpin, while he was still diving into the corners sideways as sharply as he could; but even using the leaves didn't help, as-

 

'BUMP!'

 

-he floored the gas hard down out of the corner while keeping the car in line with the steering wheel, diving out the corner with barely a centimetre's gap between him and the outer guardrail.

 

That SW… he was gaining on it a little, but at this rate - if the opponent keeps cutting the corners - he'll lose!

 

With the end of the ultra-low speed section approaching soon, Izuku needed to catch up now more than ever.

 

The car ahead began entering the corner sideways, and he followed; spinning his car towards the right wildly before flooring the gas after feeling the tyres bite.

 

"GO!"

 

'VVVORRRRRRRRHHHHHHH!'

 

And the Trueno dived in right after the MR2.

 

In that moment, as he drove off the cliffside; all he felt was the strange sensation of having zero response from any of his wheels while his hands on the wheel felt no resistance.

 

He was flying…

 

'BUMP!'

 

And the entire car shook violently as he landed.

 

The steering wheel threatened to throw off his grip, but his firm hands on it kept the car steady as he regained traction and floored the gas fearlessly.

 

'What the hell…!' thought Shindou You as he saw the Eight-Six land back down on the ground without incident. 'He managed to clear the jump on his first try?!'

 

He shifted into third.

 

'He has all the senses like a natural mountain-pass racer!' he nursed the accelerator pedal while his left foot worked the brakes as he entered a left-handed hairpin. 'You're definitely impressive; but now that I'm ahead, you've got no chance!'

 

The two Toyotas were racing neck-to-neck once more, as they both charged out of the corner barely scraping against the guardrails.

 

Not good enough…

 

The road barely fit three cars side by side; and with the way they had to move all over the road to maximise their speed down the mountain…

 

It was just like Kacchan said… he might lose this one…!

 

…

 

Wait.

  
What did he  _ actually _ say…?!

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd just like to say thanks to people who follow the story and I really appreciate you leaving lots of comments :)


	47. Wonder Duo Counterattack!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katsuki had said something to him earlier, before the race...  
> The result of the race will depend on whether he can figure it out!

* * *

"I'm only gonna say this once, so listen the fuck up, Deku."

 

"... okay...?"

 

He was stood in front of his shophouse, while Kacchan was stood at his FD parked right outside his house.

 

"Before you hit the first bridge," spoke the blond. "Your opponent will already be ahead of you."

 

"Wait, wait…" interrupted the confused Midoriya Izuku. "How would you know that? We haven't even raced-"

 

"I _just_ know, so shut up and listen before I shut you up myself." spat Katsuki. "Shitty Deku…"

 

Izuku sucked in his lips to keep quiet.

 

"Around this time of the year, dry leaves start to pile up on the roads." stated the Mazda driver. "...that's your chance."

 

"... huh?"

 

"Look out for the road shoulder edges through the leaves and use them." his red eyes made contact with his green eyes. "With your skills, you should be able to get side-by-side with the MR2."

 

The driver's door of the yellow FD3S opened up.

 

"If you manage to squeeze your way in… the rest is up to luck."

 

Midoriya Izuku blinked multiple times as the RX-7 drove away.

  


* * *

 

  


They were already at the last few hairpin corners, and the first bridge was getting closer and closer.

 

He had brushed off Katsuki's words when he started the race as the leading car; thinking there was no way to overtake on this twisting road if the two drivers were equally skilled.

 

So, Kacchan already knew the MR2 would take the corner-cutting line to overtake…

 

… but why didn't he warn him about it, or something?!

 

'Use the road edges'…?! What in the world did Kacchan mean?!

 

His eyes darted from the blue car ahead to look at the roadside as he steered right up to it - piles of leaves, and what else?!

 

He floored the gas out the corner and shifted into third gear while his car nearly scraped against the metal guardrail.

 

Dry leaves pile up…? What else was there?!

 

It was only natural that dead leaves will gather during this season, right?!

 

He sent his car drifting sideways into the final right-handed hairpin corner at full throttle, while his eyes stared at the roadside instead of the car ahead.

 

His headlights illuminated the road, revealing the brown leaves lying outlining the edges, revealing the difference in depth between the road and-

 

… wait!

 

His eyes widened in realisation.

 

Through the piles of dried, brown leaves littered on the roadside; he could clearly see the difference in ground levels between the edge and the actual asphalt - and the leaves clearly traced it out it for him!

 

_So that's what Kacchan meant!_

 

Shifting into third gear after exiting the corner, he moved into position for his line into the next corner, the mid-speed left hander.

 

It was the final corner into the first bridge leading into the high-speed section - his _last chance!_

 

_He just needed to do 'it'!_

 

Brake lights!

 

With the braking maneuver done to slow down for the corner, he downshifted into second gear as he guided his Trueno towards the line he needed to take.

 

He steered while keeping his green eyes wide open, for if he even _blinked_ at this crucial moment, he would miss his line!

 

'THUMP!'

 

Dropping his left side tyres into the ditch-like shoulder-edge of the road, he slammed down the accelerator under his right foot as hard as he could!

 

'VVVORRRRRRRRHHHHHHH!'

 

His tyres on the dirt kicked up piles of dead leaves as he kept his foot in the gas while accelerating at a high rate!

 

The speed increased by a little as compared to the drainage gutters back on Haruna, since the road edge was shallower.

 

But that addition of a few kilos of speed was just what he needed!

 

And as the blue MR2 went wide as you would naturally do when exiting a corner, Midoriya Izuku showed the other driver the nose of his Trueno as he began to pull up alongside from the inside!

 

The sudden flash of headlights and the change in the direction from where the other car's engine sounds came from forced Shindou You to turn his head and look.

 

"... what the…?!" The Eight-Six was pulling up right next to him?! "What kind of acceleration is that?!"

 

A quick glance to the speedometer with the needle reading just above 70 km/h had told him that he didn't make a mistake as the two cars dashed into the first bridge.

 

That Trueno really did move that quickly!

 

"What the hell!" shouted the MR2 driver as he shifted into third gear and opened the throttle, counting on his 3S-GTE engine's full power to drive them forwards. "Damn you!"

 

The blue Toyota pulled ahead by a slight inch.

 

9,000… 10,000… 11,000!

 

And Izuku also shifted up into third gear, as his engine took them up to speeds above 100 km/h, reeling in the shifting SW20 with his higher revolution range!

 

The two cars were side-by-side, neck-and-neck as their drivers steered them through the now-tighter turns caused by the presence of their opponent!

 

With two cars producing around 240 HP, this turned into a test of who's got the bigger willpower and courage to continue stepping on the gas!

 

"They here!" reported an Emperor member into their walkie-talkie. "I can't tell who's ahead!"

 

From the second bridge, all that the spectators could see was the blinding headlights!

 

But as they got closer-

 

"They're side-by-side?!" he screamed into the walkie. "That's too dangerous!"

 

-it was revealed that the two cars were both fighting for the lead on a race of sheer horsepower!

 

The second bridge was narrow.

 

Very narrow.

 

If you squeezed in two cars side-by-side, they'd pass through without issue.

 

But, with neither driver easing up on their accelerator, it produced a different story. Although the entry into the bridge was a very gentle right curve, if one of them missed their line to squeeze in, both of them will end up in a devastating crash!

 

The spectating Emperor winced his eyes shut as the two Toyotas raced by loudly, blowing wind and leaves in his face as they entered the concrete structure.

 

There wasn't the sound of a loud crunch - they both made it!

 

All that's left was the sprint from the second bridge, through the twisting section leading to the third bridge-

 

'BUMP!'

 

And the two cars leapt up into the air at the same time from the slight crest at the end of the bridge - they were soaring!

 

Through his windscreen, Shindou You's eyes widened when the two sets of pop-up headlights shone on the pavement ahead.

 

What he saw was dead leaves - brown and dry - littered all over his side of the road!

 

'BUMP!'

 

The two cars shook violently as their suspensions ironed out the landing, but the MR2's four tyres immediately caught leaves-

 

"Shit!"

 

-and the blue SW20 lost all grip - lost all control.

 

And Midoriya Izuku's newly-repaired AE86 was right next to the car that begun spinning.

 

His green eyes caught the movement from the corner of his vision, and he felt the incredibly suffocating feeling of claustrophobia as the guardrail and the spinning blue Toyota ate up his space.

 

The road was also curving to the right - and he needed to turn this corner.

 

There wasn't enough space-

 

-no, it was just barely enough space!

 

He held his breath as his two arms turned the steering wheel while his right foot blipped instinctively on the accelerator pedal.

 

It was natural reflex - the only thing he could do at this moment; steering the car while drifting at as low an angle as he could through the corner in the tight space.

 

Meanwhile - in the MR2 - Shindou You tried his hardest to spin his car away from the Eight-Six, grasping on what little control he had currently.

 

It was just enough.

 

As the SW20 spun clockwise, the Trueno drifted in the same direction, squeezing through the tight gap left behind by luck as the rears of the two Toyotas nearly collided against each other while the Trueno nearly got sandwiched by the guardrail and the MR2.

 

Izuku managed to squeeze through and escape the danger-zone as the other Toyota spun to a stop facing the bridge they came from.

 

And he immediately pressed down the foot-brake, because he knew the race was over the moment the blue Toyota lost control and spun-out after the landing.

 

He did it.

 

In the driver's seat of the Tochigi-number car, the racer released a shaky breath as he stared at the single piece of dried leaf resting on his windscreen of his stalled MR2.

 

He lost...

 

"... t-the SW spun out after the second bridge's jump…" reported the spectating Emperor after snapping out of his daze caused by all the action. "The Eight-Six wins!"

 

It was ironic - the way he lost the match.

 

The usually-advantageous inside of the corner immediately turned into a massive disadvantage the moment the leaves littered across it; positioned there from the wind blown in through the guardrails towards the mountain wall.

 

And the move that his opponent made: squeezing his nose in just before the high-speed section for a race of pure horsepower - it wasn't just luck.

 

Midoriya Izuku's immense skill and recklessness brought luck to his side by choosing to be positioned on the outside of the corner after the second bridge.

 

Shindou You admitted defeat completely.

 

And Bakugou Katsuki smiled when he heard the news.

* * *

 


	48. First Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter was approaching, and high-school was nearly coming to an end.

* * *

Midoriya Izuku couldn’t fall asleep even when he tossed and turned around in his humble bed after getting home from the high-tension match against Shindou You and his SW20.

 

Kacchan’s advice completely saved his butt - even though he only barely managed to figure it out right at the very last moment that mattered.

 

Speaking of which; how did Kacchan even know how the race was going to unfold?

 

And why didn’t he warn him about that corner-cutting line…?

 

…

 

But now that he thought about it; it was probably pointless to warn him about - as the line was practically unblockable unless you took the same jump - which was something he only managed to do from watching the way the MR2 leapt off the cliff-sides.

 

…

 

It was because of Kacchan’s riddled advice that he was able to win.

 

… Kacchan’s amazing, after all…

 

And the green-haired teenager fell asleep unknowingly, thinking of a certain handsome driver of a yellow sports Mazda.

 

But there was still something bothering him.

 

… a few things, actually...

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


She was standing outside the high school, waiting for him.

 

And the moment Midoriya Izuku had stepped out of the locker cabinet area, his eyes had noticed her.

 

But, as expected, he began walking away; ignoring her presence.

 

"Wait, Izuku!" called out Ochako. "Stop ignoring me!"

 

…

 

"What do you want, Uraraka?"

 

She stilled for a moment - Izuku had gone from Ochako to Uraraka…

 

"I need some advice." stated the girl, not being easily discouraged. "I know you hate me now… but we're still friends, right?"

 

He seemed unimpressed and gave her a bored stare with his green eyes.

 

"... friends…?"

 

"Well, what else are we?" came her response. "I mean… you're the one who said we were not going out." 

 

… fair enough, he guessed.

 

"So," continued the girl. "Meet me after school, Izuku."

 

…

 

"Please…?" added Ochako.

 

"... okay."

 

And a few hours later, after listening to excessant words from the homeroom teacher about stuff he didn't care about, he finally sat in the driver's seat of his Trueno to drive to the front gates.

 

Uraraka Ochako was already waiting for him.

 

"... hey." she gotten into the car awkwardly.

 

"..." Izuku put the car into first gear and began to drive.

 

"..."

 

"..."

 

"... let's…" spoke Ochako as they approached a set of traffic lights. "Let's go to the lake… Lake Haruna."

 

He hummed in agreement.

 

After driving down a few streets, the old white-and-black Toyota made its way into the base entrance of Mount Haruna.

 

The trees have almost completely shedded off their leaves, with a few persistent brown leaves still clinging onto their branches.

 

The season is changing again soon - faster than they expected…

 

Speaking of change…

 

"Your car looks different now…" stated the brown-haired girl as her eyes roamed around the interior of the Trueno. "You changed your seat?"

 

"Mmh." hummed the driver as he guided the car up the mountain at a traffic's pace.

 

"It moves different too…" noticed the girl through the passenger’s seat. "Did you change it?"

 

Before the 'incident', if Ochako managed to feel the difference, Izuku would have found it highly impressive that she could tell.

 

But not now.

 

"Why did you look for me?" he kept his eyes on the road as he knew he wouldn't be able to look her in the eye. "You're not here for small talk."

 

All they could hear for a few seconds was the low grumbles of the racing engine as it worked to move the car uphill.

 

"... I just wanted you to know…" she began softly. "I broke things off with the guy in the Benz."

 

Izuku felt his heart palpitate for a split-second.

 

"... yeah, so?" he went for aggressive. Like Kacchan. "What does this have to do with me?"

 

"Because you started to ignore me!" spoke the passenger as she glanced at the driver momentarily before looking back at the scenery. "If it didn't bother you at all and you didn't care; you wouldn't have pushed me away since summer!"

 

He just listened as he tried his best to keep his emotions in control.

 

"You ignored me because you still cared!" stated the brown-haired girl. "Because it still bothered you a lot!"

 

He depressed the brake pedal gently as they approached a hairpin curve, and he downshifted into third gear as his revs were kept low at 3000 RPM.

 

Then he steered left and turned into the corner.

 

Yes. He cared.  _ Of course _ he cared.

 

Why wouldn't he?

 

He had once really liked this girl currently sat in his passenger seat - and he would have thought that there was something more between them if not for the tip-off made by Toga Himiko.

 

It  _ would _ have turned into something more, if not for the betrayal.

 

“I just…” Ochako hesitated for a little bit. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

 

“...”

 

“I know you’re not going to forgive me that easily, but I’m not going to spend the rest of high school with you hating me, Izuku.” declared the ex-girlfriend determinedly. “I’m… that was more like a job, to get money to go to university.”

 

“... you don’t see anything wrong with that…?!” he asked - almost incredulously - as they began to slow down to pull into the big parking lot near Lake Haruna. “To you, it was just a ‘job’?”

 

The plot of land was completely empty, with the single lone Toyota being the only car in the lot.

 

“Maybe… I don’t know. I know I earned a lot from that guy.” stated the girl honestly. “I’m not as repulsed as you are; but the during the final time… he might have paid a little 'extra'…”

 

Midoriya Izuku turned the key to kill the engine, allowing them to finally sit in complete silence within the confines of the hatchback Toyota; with the view of the lake comforting them somehow.

 

“... I can’t believe you, Uraraka.”

 

“Ochako.” she corrected. “Ochako. We’re friends, right?”

 

“...”

 

“I’m determined, Izuku. I’m going to try my best to patch things up with you.”

 

A spot of white landed on the windscreen. Then another. And another. And soon, the spots of white descending from the sky began to land on the ground.

 

“... snow…?” observed the green-haired male. “I guess we should head back before it gets too cold…”

 

And so, he started up the car again.

 

The journey back was made in silence.

 

Around twenty minutes later, he pulled over the Trueno to a stop in front of the neighbourhood block that Uraraka Ochako stayed in.

 

“Thanks for the lift, Izuku.” said the girl as she closed the door. “I hope we can hang out again soon.”

 

“... before you go.” Izuku stopped Ochako from leaving before she could. “I have something to ask you.”

 

“...?”

 

“Why me?” asked the green-haired boy. “I know there's a lot of guys interested in you, so why me? Why do you like me?”

 

“... I don’t know.” replied the girl with honesty. “It’s like, some people prefer noodles than rice, right?”

 

And then she walked away - and Izuku didn’t notice the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes.

 

The young Midoriya boy watched from the driver’s seat of his AE86, with the renewed sense of confusion back in his head as the girl walked back home.

 

… he wondered if he still had feelings for that girl - or was it just blind hope because it was more convenient…?

 

…

 

He needed to talk to someone.

 

Anyone.

 

Maybe… maybe Kacchan…

* * *

 


	49. Dawn Of Winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter begins. Izuku finds Katsuki to replace his summer tyres to snow tyres.

* * *

Denki steered his S13 into the first corner of Haruna's downhill.

 

Slowly.

 

And when the front wheels turned left, the car began to spin further and face the inside of the corner.

 

"Woah, you were right!" exclaimed the yellow-haired boy excitedly as he turned the wheel the opposite direction to countersteer. "It's so slippery and slow on snow…"

 

"If you learn drifting in the snow," said Eijirou in the passenger seat as they cleared corner one. "Then you can adapt the things you learnt here when spring comes."

 

"I see…"

 

The driver gently stepped on the gas out of the corner, and even that tiny acceleration forced him to need a bigger countersteer as the car tried to drag itself forwards.

 

He straightened up the car with ease.

 

Feeling confident, he shifted into third gear and put the accelerator down again.

 

"A little too fast, Denki…" mumbled Eijirou as they approached another corner.

 

He stepped on the brakes gently, and the car slowed down while he downshifted into second.

 

And the Nissan didn't turn when he steered.

 

"Shit!" cursed Denki as he continued depressing the brakes, slowing down the understeering car as it plowed straight on, deviating from the curve.

 

And the front-left tyre mounted the kerb and caught some grass as the car came to a complete stop.

 

"What the hell, I was barely going more than 50 into the corner." groaned the driver. "Snow sucks."

 

"You suck." laughed the red-haired boyfriend, earning himself a smack on his arm.

 

"Ugh!"

 

"Well, I don't think anyone can go really fast in the snow…" stated Eijirou. "I bet not even Izuku could drive more than a 100 in these conditions."

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The snow was getting thicker, and he concluded that he definitely needed snow tyres on his FD soon after the third corner.

 

As the speedometer barely hit 120 km/h as a corner approached, he stepped down onto the brakes and kept the engine revs high to slow down more efficiently.

 

Then, he turned his steering wheel left and drifted at an incredibly sharp angle; nearly completely sideways - perpendicular to the road - while his right foot worked the gas pedal delicately.

 

His speed had definitely become slower due to the wet and slippery surface covering the roads of Akagi, but he still sent his Mazda drifting into corners sharply and cleared the corners fast - considering the loss of grip.

 

In such conditions, you had to maximise any grip you have on the road surface - positioning the tyres to dig through the snow and grip on actual asphalt.

 

Katsuki was adaptable, and had some experience driving in the snow in previous years.

 

But this was the first time he really, really tried to  _ drive  _ at his fullest potential in such conditions.

 

Braking needed to be earlier. Revs needed to be kept higher. Steering need to be more anticipated. Drifting needed to be more aggressive.

 

He could manage it.

 

Drivers like Katsuki - those who are willed, they don't see the snowy weather as a hindrance - instead, they used it as their ultimate training.

 

In front of him - through the windscreen, he could see the snowed-on roads, and also the imaginary Deku's Eight-Six driving in front of him; charging into corners faster than he could handle.

 

But he chased after it bravely, attacking the corners of Akagi with the same amount of grace-filled ferocity as the Trueno in his head that he could see like a mirage.

 

He almost matched the time given by Shouto that hasn't changed since the summer - he was off by a second.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The blond-haired male - wearing a fluffy black hoodie and sweatpants - stood in front of his car as he drove carefully into the workshop.

 

"What're you doing here Deku?" asked the shop-owner as he got out of his car.

 

Looking around, he saw that the workshop only had two cars in it - his AE86 and Kacchan's FD3S.

 

"I need studless tyres…" spoke the green-haired customer. "It began to snow yesterday."

 

"Mmh." grunted Katsuki as he walked over to a corner of the workshop where Izuku could see different tyres of different brands being kept. "Brand?"

 

"Anything's fine."

 

"Tch." and he picked a tyre off the a set of four of Bridgestone Potenzas.

 

And for the next few minutes, Izuku watched as his blond childhood friend remove the current tyres from his Eight-Six.

 

He looked away, and his eyes settled for looking at the engine bay of the FD3S with the hood opened up fully to reveal the tuned 13B inside.

 

“Have you…” Izuku spoke out softly, hesitantly, before he sighed. “... nevermind…”

 

“Tch, Deku.” huffed the blond as he put aside the Toyota’s old set of worn-out summer tyres. “Ask me a question or don’t, but don’t fucking do that shit.”

 

“... okay, I’ll say it, then…” decided the green-haired boy. “Have you… have you ever liked someone…?”

 

Bakugou Katsuki stilled for a moment - and in that moment, all he did was stare at the threads of the brand-new studless snow tyres that were going to be put on Deku’s AE86 as his brain worked for answers.

 

“Tch, I dunno. I'm too busy focusing on driving to have time for that.” came his response before getting back to work by deflating air in the old rubber on the Watanabe F8s. “Where’s this coming from? That girl again?”

 

“... yeah. She said… she said she broke things off with the sugar daddy...” answered Izuku honestly. “I really tried to stay away from her and break things off; but I can’t help but wonder if…

 

… if I still like her; at least a little.”

 

Familiar anger suddenly flared up within the confines of Katsuki’s chest as he heard those words come from the voice of the Midoriya boy - because what the  _ hell _ was he thinking?!

 

"You fucking kidding me, shitty  _ Deku _ ?!" snapped the blond, and his familiar temperament was back on. "I already told you -  _ you _ don't deserve someone like that!"

 

Izuku was surprised by the sudden shout of anger from the other, as he watched him take off a tyre off a rim with some force.

 

"... Kacchan…?"

 

"Don't talk, you stupid fucking  _ idiot _ ." growled the angry blond. "Why does it have to be her? You can  _ literally _ look for anyone else that won't fucking cheat on you!"

 

"... you really think so…?" spoke Izuku after the outrage and looked at his red shoes. "... I'm sorry, Kacchan… I didn't think you cared so much about me…"

 

Unbeknownst to the green-haired boy, Katsuki stared at him for a good few seconds before he turned his head away.

 

"... tch." Katsuki made the noise. "... it's  _ your _ fault for fucking appearing back into my life again after  _ all these time _ , shitty Deku…"

 

And suddenly, Izuku felt a pang of guilt in his heart as he felt tears boiling over to form in his eyes to form a waterfall.

 

He suddenly remembered how close they were - them two - before they separated as little kids.

 

They were practically inseparable till that fateful day where Todoroki Enji signed the adoption papers to take in the young genius.

 

"Ack- What-" came the surprised yelp from Katsuki as he was tackled into a firm hug.

 

"Thank you, Kacchan…!" he cried into the chest of the blond wearing the fluffy black hoodie. "I'm so sorry…!"

 

"I could've dropped the fucking tyre on you, shithead!" complained the blond as he sprawled across the cement floor awkwardly. "What the hell?!"

 

"I'm just…" Izuku took a breath of air. "I'm just happy to know you care, Kacchan."

 

"... tch, I don't."

 

"Liar." the younger boy grinned as he wiped tears off his own face. "You totally care - you even said it."

 

His red eyes rolled.

 

"Little shit. Get off me, I need to finish work on your car." grumbled the red-eyed blond as he pried the other's hands off him reluctantly. "Or I'll leave it to you to finish it yourself."

 

"Let me help, Kacchan." said the green-eyed male as the blond went to pick up the dropped tyre to put aside neatly.

 

"... do whatever you want; it's your fucking car." stated the blond. "Know how to rim a tyre?"

 

And the two worked silently for a few minutes, with the only sound accompanying them being the hissing of air from deflating of tyres before they were popped off their rim.

 

"By the way, Kacchan…" called out the Midoriya. "... who do you think I deserve, then?"

 

The Mazda driver seemed to think for a second.

 

"Someone who can keep up with you and your dreams." answered the blond honestly. "Someone who understands. Someone who cares. And someone who doesn't fucking  _ cheat _ ."

 

…

 

Izuku simply hummed in wonder as he inflated the new tyre to optimal pressure.

 

"Enough of this talk; I'm fucking hungry, Deku." complained Katsuki as he checked the time on his wristwatch. "Hurry up, we'll go eat after this."

 

"I want Katsudon."

 

"Of course you do, shitty nerd."

* * *

 


	50. Fated Partner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their lives are intertwined.

* * *

They went to a shopping mall, and Katsuki took Izuku into a restaurant that sold Katsudon; as promised.

 

His green eyes grew impossibly big - causing the blond to chuckle - when he saw the portion served by the restaurant - it was big enough to feed two people.

 

"Can you even finish that, Deku?" teased the blond before digging in his spicy ramen.

 

"I don't know, it's really big…!" the younger male started eating. "It's good! … but I don't think I can finish it."

 

"Tch; you fucking asked for Katsudon." smirked the Mazda driver. "I just happened to know the place."

 

"Help me finish it, Kacchan."

 

"Fuck you, I'll get fat."

 

"Don't worry, you're super fit!"

 

After hearing that comment (compliment), Katsuki took an opportunity to stare down the figure of the younger racer - his muscles were not too big, but they were defined.

 

"You're fit, too." observed the blond. "You workout?"

 

"No, this is all from driving and moving crates of tofu."

 

The blond immediately raised an eyebrow.

 

"... what?"

 

"Eight-Sixes don't come with power-steering, Kacchan." stated the green-haired boy. "And the steering wheel had gotten heavier with the new engine - I needed to put more strength into steering the car."

 

"... tch, what a fucking workout." Katsuki could only imagine what the boy's muscles have to deal when driving. "You started driving when, again?"

 

"... 13."

 

"Tch, you got a head-start." grumbled the Bakugou. "I started racing right after getting my license."

 

"What? And you can drive like that?" gushed the Toyota driver. "You're… amazing."

 

"Tch. Tell me something I don't know."

 

"How many times did you take the driving test?"

 

"Once, obviously." smirked the blond proudly. "I heard half-and-half had to take it twice when he started out."

 

"No way!"

 

And the two reunited childhood friends had just spent an hour, idly chatting about nearly everything while trying their best to finish their meal.

 

They couldn't finish eating the Katsudon; it turned out.

 

"Thanks for coming!" a waitress said as they were shown the way out the establishment. "Please come again!"

 

"Next time we'll just order a single plate." suggested Izuku, rubbing his slightly-bloated belly.

 

"Let's go driving, and test out those tyres you paid for." suggested Katsuki.

 

"Sure - I need to practice with my future partner!"

 

The blond stopped walking for a second and stilled, and Izuku noticed and stopped walking as well.

 

"What's wrong- oh." the green-haired boy realised what he just implied, and his face turned red while his arms flailed. "I- I didn't mean it like that!"

 

"... stupid Deku…" he grumbled as he roughly shoved the younger male to continue walking. "Hurry up and get to our cars."

 

"You're not mad, right Kacchan?"

 

"The fuck? I ain't that fucking petty to get mad about that shit!" retorted the blond-haired male as they walked into the lift lobby. "... fucking future partner."

 

"... yeah, you're right." Izuku watched as the lift ticked down to their floor. "I'll be joining the team, but… I still need to do one more thing."

 

"What's that?"

 

"I want to race Todoroki-san once more." stated Izuku with their eyes contacting. "On Akagi. I'm not expecting to win... but I at least need to try this out."

 

"... dammit, Deku." he knew what the other was implying. "You're really gonna go all-out, huh?"

 

He wanted to race against the opponent that gave him the hardest time, to test out his abilities one last time before he makes his decision to join Project D.

 

Last time, it was on Haruna. This time, Izuku wanted it to be on Akagi - Todoroki Shouto's home course.

 

The lift dinged and opened up its doors.

 

"Of course." smiled Izuku as they walked into the lift. "Kacchan deserves nothing but my best."

 

His eyes watched the younger driver walk into the lift.

 

"... fuck…" he breathed, inaudible to Izuku. "I don't deserve you…"

 

Izuku seemed to caught a noise or two, however.

 

"Hm?" green eyes stared at him while they descended to the underground parking lot. "What did you say?"

 

"Nothing."

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


He drove behind, because it Deku needed to practice here, and because he wanted to - watching Deku's Trueno drive ahead of him and leading him by the nose relaxed him.

 

Deku had insisted they to come to Akagi because he never really driven here - not counting the time he raced against Yoarashi's Evo III on impulse.

 

As expected, the Eight-Six's movements were excellent, even in the snow - the way it drove, the way it positioned itself and the way it entered corners; it all translated to speed that Katsuki could only do from driving behind.

 

They were drifting together - their two cars danced a beautiful tandem in the snow as they swung from corner to corner, tyres kicking up the slush as they slid through sideways at a high speed - but not their full speed.

 

Bakugou Katsuki wasn't even bothered that his visibility was severely hindered by the snow kicked up by the leading Trueno.

 

Their cars were always so close to each other - nearly grazing each other's bumpers and fenders but never ever touching; moving down the mountain as their engines sung a duet with each other; reverberating the turbocharged 13B and the naturally-aspirated 4AGE through the night sky.

 

If they were martial artists, this was the equivalent of sparring - showing each other what they're capable of, pushing each other to the limits without really meaning for violence.

 

They moved in sync - driving down the mountain, stuck in their own reality - their own dimension - where only two of them existed; where the entire world only had two cars: the Eight-Six and the FD, and the open roads of Japan.

 

This was perfect. Everything was perfect.

 

If this was what it's going to be like driving with Midoriya Izuku; he couldn't wait for the arrival of spring where Project D could finally kick into action.

 

This kind of driving with Deku… it relaxed him, calmed him down, gave him time to think.

 

It was a spiritual experience.

 

He couldn't ask for someone better to be his teammate.

 

No…

 

His  _ partner _ .

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


They decided to stop by a convenience store - a 7-Eleven with a small parking lot at the side.

 

Their two cars sat side-by-side each other as their drivers walked towards the front entrance and pushed open the glass door.

 

"Welcome!"

 

Midoriya Izuku stilled when he heard that voice - they were hidden from the line-of-sight of the cashier.

 

Uraraka Ochako…?!

 

When did she get a job?

 

"Wha-"

 

His hand - his sweaty palm - was gripped firmly by the hand of the Trueno driver as he pulled them both out the store in an instant.

 

And immediately after they stepped out the store...

 

"What the fuck was that?!"

 

"That's…" stuttered the boy. "That's the girl I told you about - inside."

 

"..."

 

"..."

 

"... I'm gonna go in and give her a piece of my mind-"

 

"No, Kacchan!" he pulled him back - their hands still linked. "Don't. Please."

 

"Why?"

 

"Because… " he thought for a reason. "She's not worth the time. Like you said."

 

Hearing that, the blond huffed.

 

"Damn fucking right, Deku." he walked back to the parking lot and Izuku followed at his side. "Glad you listened for once in your god-damned life."

 

"Hey!"

 

Katsuki realised their hands were still holding each other when he dug for his car keys in his pocket and kept staring his red eyes at the two hands holding each other.

 

Izuku's eyes followed the blond's gaze, and noticed it too.

 

"Ah!" he broke the hold as if he was scalded. "I'm sorry!"

 

"... tch." Katsuk finally took out his car keys and smirked. "Just tell me if you wanna hold my hand, Deku."

 

"... we're not four-years-old anymore, Kacchan." pouted Izuku. "I would if we're four."

 

"But you're 18 now and still wanna hold my hand."

 

"Kacchan!"

 

And Izuku heard the sound of Katsuki's laughter - the real, actual sound of his laughter and it made up for all the teasing earlier if it meant he could hear it more often.

 

He joined in, and the laughter stopped after a few seconds. Then, their eyes met and stared at each other.

 

"..."

 

"... I missed you, Kacchan." smiled the younger driver. "I'm glad we met again back then, in Haruna…"

 

"... tch."

 

He broke eye contact to unlock his Mazda's doors before he turned back around to look at the green-haired boy, who was just stood there, watching him.

 

"... me too, Deku." he mumbled when he opened the door. "... missed you, too."

 

"...?!"

 

And the blushing Midoriya Izuku watched as the rotary started up with a roar, and its driver pulled out of the parking lot urgently - as if escaping the embarrassment.

 

"... Kacchan missed me…?!" he repeated. And again. "... Kacchan missed me…"

 

'Kacchan missed me…'

 

He had no idea how long he stood there with that phrase repeated over and over in his head like a mantra that stopped only when he realised that he needed to drive back home.

 

'... Kacchan missed me!'

 

He smiled with a blush as he turned the key.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The FD was driven at a high speed down the Kan-Etsu highway.

 

The driver felt such a rush of adrenaline, he couldn't slow down to adhere to the speed limits.

 

He felt like he could soar; he could fly.

 

140 km/h… 150 km/h… 160 km/h…

 

There was barely any traffic in the snowy night, and he knew he probably shouldn't drive this fast in the winter for other people's safety, but…

 

This feeling in him drove him.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes they went on an unofficial date.


	51. Day Before Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their dinner was interrupted with an urgent call.

* * *

(For the sake of the story, please pretend Mineta Minoru is at a size that his foot can at least reach the pedals.)

 

The snow was drizzling down the streets of Gunma - the white powder that rained upon Japan during this time of the year was a little strong tonight.

 

A silver car suddenly pulled over in front of her as she was walking to a bus station.

 

"... Minoru…?"

 

Uraraka Ochako seemed perplexed by the silver-coloured car parked in front of her, right outside the convenience store she worked at after breaking things off with the Benz guy.

 

It was a Toyota of some kind; she could tell with the badging on the front of the car, and it also had a huge spoiler on the back.

 

"Get in, Ochako." ordered the driver. "Let's hang out a little."

 

She considered her options: she had nothing better to do.

 

"... sure." and she opened up the passenger's door.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


"Kacchan?"

 

The yellow FD pulled over at a gas pump and turned off its engine - it had been a week or two since he seen it.

 

"High-octane, full tank, Deku." smirked the blond.

 

"Yes, Kacchan."

 

And he got to work, filling up the RX-7 idly while waiting for time to pass.

 

"You get off work soon, right?" asked the Mazda driver.

 

"Yeah…" replied Izuku. "In five minutes, actually. We get an hour off work for Christmas Eve and Christmas itself."

 

"Then let's go to your house after you're done here."

 

"Eh?"

 

And nearly an hour later, the two cars that departed from the Esso gas station finally made its way to the Midoriya Tofu Shop.

 

"Have you had dinner yet, Kacchan?" asked Izuku as he turned on the lights in the house.

 

"No."

 

"I'm making dinner." stated the green-haired boy as he turned on the heater. "Stay with me and we'll eat together."

 

“You can cook?” Katsuki raised an eyebrow as he sat down at the short table. “Without burning the house down?”

 

“I grew up in a shop that sells food for a living, Kacchan.” deadpanned Midoriya Izuku. “Of course I can cook!”

 

“Then give me some of your special tofu recipes or something.”

 

"I'll make mapo tofu, then." smiled the green-haired boy. "Extra spicy; just for you."

 

“You better.” he smirked.

 

Then, the Midoriya boy just stood there at the entrance to the kitchen while looking at Katsuki expectantly.

 

“What?” questioned the blond.

 

“Come help me in the kitchen, you freeloader.” teased the driver of the Trueno. “Or I’ll forget to add another person’s serving of rice into the cooker.”

 

Grumbling, Katsuki sat up from the tatami mats.

 

“Fine, fine; I get it, shitty Deku.” complained the blond. “Even though I’m supposed to be the guest here…”

 

"You invited yourself here, Kacchan."

 

"Shut up." grumbled the blond as he looked around. "Where's the rice-cooker?"

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


She was running away as fast as she could - away from the silver Toyota, away from its perverted driver that tried to rape her just moments ago.

 

Where was she? This place seemed familiar; but with all the snow covering it, she couldn't recognise it.

 

Her hand was in the pocket of her coat, grabbing her phone to dial the first number she saw.

 

'Izuku'.

 

Please pick up…

 

… this place was…

 

… Lake Haruna!

 

The phone was picked up!

 

"Izuku, help - the lake- Ah!"

 

She was tackled to the ground, and her phone broke itself on a piece of rock.

 

“You think you can run off that easily?!” grinned the man. “Now; where were we…?”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Bakugou Katsuki froze when he heard the urgent tone of the female's voice coming from Izuku's cell-phone after picking it up on his behalf.

 

'Ochako' was who the phone said it was.

 

That couldn't have been a mistake - someone was definitely in danger with the way they screamed in  _ terror. _

 

"Hey Deku!" he shouted, mind going into overdrive as he ran into the kitchen. "I think someone's in trouble!"

 

"What's going on?!" asked the boy as he turned off the stove. “Who’s in danger?!”

 

"It was a girl - she said something about a lake."

 

"... lake…?" mumbled Izuku as he took off his apron. "What did she mean by lake…?"

 

"Her name was Ochako."

 

"...!" Izuku stared at him with wide eyes. "I got it, Kacchan!"

 

And the blond-haired male stared in confusion as the green-haired teen tossed his apron aside as he ran out of the house while grabbing the keys to his Eight-Six.

 

The spicy mapo tofu was left simmering and cooling on the turned-off stove as he heard the ignition and the roar of the 4-AGE engine outside; followed by the muffled sounds of tyres kicking up slush from the ground.

 

He decided to follow and also ran out of the house, unlocking the door of his FD and turned the key to start it up in the span of ten seconds.

 

And he shifted into first and nursed the gas to follow the trail left behind in the snow by the Trueno that left not thirty seconds ago.

 

What in the world was going on…?!

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“Now; tell me who you like again…” sneered Minoru, as she girl lying back-down on the ground looked away. “... don’t tell me; it’s… Midoriya…?!”

 

“...”

 

“... the look on your face told me all I needed to know!”

 

“... he’ll hit you again; like how he did two years ago- Ouch!”

 

She was sent a slap right on her face, shutting her up with pain.

 

“Don’t remind me of that!”

 

…

 

It was two years ago, in a locker room of the soccer club in school that Midoriya Izuku joined because he had nothing better to do.

 

He was incredibly pissed off - for someone else. The amount of indignance he felt when he heard Mineta Minoru talk about Uraraka Ochako as if she was some kind of object to be owned - as if she was just a thing to be used.

 

‘BANG!’ the green-haired teen slammed the locker room shut, earning him the attention of everyone currently in the room.

 

“... you better shut the hell up, Minoru...” suggested - threatened - Izuku. “... before I make you…!”

 

“... the fuck, Midoriya?” he raised an eyebrow. “You can’t appreciate boobs or what? You gay-”

 

And he was swiftly delivered a hard punch right in his jaw which knocked him right into the ground; nose bleeding and all.

 

A day later, Midoriya Izuku sent in his withdrawal from the soccer club.

 

…

 

That memory that was resurfaced made his anger boil.

 

"How sad; of all people, you call up  _ Midoriya… _ " jeered the purple-haired pervert. "He's 18, right? Even if he does have a license, I bet he doesn’t even have a car!"

 

"He does." came her answer as she stared defiantly back into the eyes of Mineta Minoru. "And it's the fastest car on the mountains. He'll be here in no time."

 

"... fuck you!" he screamed as he pulled her hair to get her to stand. "Get in the car, now!"

 

"Ouch-! Let go of me!"

 

"Hah! I'll let you go after I'm done with you!" he sneered. “Now get back into my fucking car!”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Katsuki had never seen an Eight-Six go uphill this quickly before, not even that Levin-turbo he met in the summer driven by that purple-haired Saitama guy could match this speed; he bet.

 

He had managed to catch up in the traffic before they reached the mountain, and now even his 350 HP 13B twin-turbo engine was being put to the test in the as they raced up the snowy mountain to save a life - the life of someone called ‘Ochako’.

 

"Kacchan's following me..." he noticed the set of headlights close behind and mumbled the words out under his breath. “Even if she wronged me… she’s still a friend…!”

 

As he approached left-handed hairpin, he gently braked and downshifted all the while increasing the force of his braking.

 

In the snow, any tyre lockup will make you lose control of your car - and understeer was the greatest enemy of speed in these conditions.

 

He steered aggressively into the turn, allowing his front tyres to dig through the snow while he stepped the gas halfway before flooring it down to slide the car and drift before he applied countersteer.

 

Although the situation now did not call for it; Bakugou Katsuki found himself enjoying the chase, and enjoying watching the Eight-Six move about in the snow and picking the best lines and angles to race up the hill.

 

Izuku was fast!

 

He could see the electrifying aura - the sparks of green flowing through the Trueno as it dashed up the mountain.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


He noticed a set of headlights appear ahead in the snow.

 

"What kind of idiot will drive out here in the snow at night?" he commented as the car grew closer. "What a loser…"

 

He moved his car to the left, as the car approached - no; two incoming cars.

 

Were they racing?! They must be suicidal to race in the snow, with all that lack of grip-

 

"Izuku!"

 

Oh.

 

Wait- Izuku?!

 

As in;  _ Midoriya _ Izuku?!

 

It wasn't even ten minutes since she made that call!

 

"You're kidding, right?!" exclaimed Minoru as he steadied himself in the driver's seat and gripped the wheel tighter. "That's way too fast!"

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


He pressed the brake pedal as soon as he saw Uraraka Ochako in the passenger seat of the silver Celica GT4 - their eyes had met when they passed by each other; and he saw the teary-eyed look she gave him.

 

She was definitely in need of help!

 

And he pulled the handbrake while spinning the wheel to the right to turn the car around.

 

Kacchan was following his moves, and also spun his FD around in the snow in a flashy move.

 

And his car finally faced the way it came from, and he released the handbrake to shift into first gear and floor down the gas pedal.

 

Kacchan’s FD - the headlights - was firmly close behind him - good.

 

The chase was on.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


"He's here…" she started tearing up as she looked into the rear-view mirror. "Izuku's here to save me…!"

 

“Hahahaha…!” laughed the driver of the Celica maniacally. “I was wondering what kind of car Midoriya drove; but it turned out to be a heap of junk!”

 

“... Izuku is good at driving; just you watch.” warned the brown-haired girl as she gripped tightly to the safety-belt guarding her. “He’ll catch up.”

 

“I’m sorry, but that’s impossible, Ochako.” said Minoru smugly as he stepped down on the accelerator fully. “This car’s a 4WD! 4WDs are superior in the snow! His shitty old FR car will not be able to catch up!”

 

“He will…” repeated Ochako under her breath. “Izuku will definitely catch up…”

* * *

 


	52. Saviour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...

* * *

The silver Celica was currently pulling away, but that was because he needed to spin around to face the correct direction and work his momentum back up again.

 

Third gear.

 

And the first downhill corner was quickly revealed to him as he approached at a blinding speed for the snow.

 

Stepping on the brake pedal, he heel-and-toe downshifted into second gear to keep his engine revs high as he steered left, into the corner.

 

Then he floored the gas, and his tyres kicked up snow as his Trueno drifted through.

 

As soon as he cleared the turn, he could see that the Toyota far ahead was already beginning to be reeled in - so catching up shouldn't be an issue.

 

But… how the hell do you stop a moving car?!

 

Peering into the white headlights coming from the yellow FD behind gave him somewhat of an idea...

 

"With that kind of crappy car, I'll leave him behind easily." he mumbled as he stepped on the gas while steering - leaving it to his 4WD system to do the work. "I won't even need three corners to-"

 

All of a sudden, he felt the presence of menacing headlights shining from behind, and he dared to take a look in the mirror-

 

'VVVRRRRRHHHHHHHHH!'

 

"... what the fuck?!" he choked on his own spit and began coughing. "... that's impossible!"

 

The Eight-Six was right behind, after just a few seconds!

 

How did that happen?!

 

"I told you." stated Ochako as she gripped on tightly to the grab-handle. "He's a good driver. You just suck."

 

"... shut up!" snapped a pissed-off Minoru as he stomped harder on the gas. "You won't be saying that once we make the way down this mountain!"

 

Watching from behind with his experienced pair of eyes; Izuku determined that the Celica driver wasn't much of a driver.

 

The silver Toyota was badly controlled; it was shaking all over the place and it understeered into corners horrendously - he guessed the only thing keeping the car moving right now was its 4WD drivetrain.

 

Good for him, then.

 

He just needed to get closer for his plan to work…

 

Tailgating an unskilled driver was extremely dangerous - but he still needed to do it in order to make the Celica cave in to his pressure.

 

Stepping on the brakes for the next right-hairpin turn, he downshifted into second gear and steered into the corner.

 

Without much effort from his side; his Trueno already gained on the Celica and closed up the gap; leaving a car's hood length between them for safety.

 

When he was close enough, he switched his headlights to high-beams.

 

"How can that FR piece of shit be that fast?!" exclaimed the getaway driver as he slammed down the gas and turned the wheel left. "Damn you all!"

 

With the strong lights shining on from behind, the driver of the 4WD felt cornered, and forgot to brake in the desperation to get away.

 

And Izuku let go of the gas and began braking as he watched the Celica plow straight on.

 

"That fucker's going to crash." noticed Katsuki, as he pressed down the brake pedal as well. "What a fucking amateur…"

 

'BAM!'

 

As predicted, the front-right side of the silver Toyota bashed right into the guardrail as the road curved; and the car itself began to spin as it scraped against the rail.

 

The AE86 and the FD3S both drifted past the crashing Celica and spun to a stop safely, with both their engines still running.

 

Meanwhile, the Celica grinded against the guardrail to a halt; its engine stalling and rendering the car immobile.

 

She took the chance to open the door and escape from the car - the driver was too shocked to stop her from doing so.

 

"Izuku!" she ran towards the two drivers who just gotten out of their white and yellow cars. "I'm so glad you came!"

 

"What happened, Ochako?"

 

"I'll explain later…" she took notice of the blond-haired male next to him. "... who's this, Izuku?"

 

"Oh; he's uh…" Izuku looked at Bakugou Katsuki. "He's my friend-"

 

"Boyfriend." came the words from the blond's mouth, loud enough to cut off Izuku's words.

 

Two sets of eyes and mouths immediately grew wide on Katsuki - Ochako's in surprise, and Izuku's in a mixture of shock and confusion.

 

Bakugou Katsuki then sneered at the girl.

 

"I recognise you, whoever the fuck you are; round-face." glared the blond male. "You  _ hurt _ Deku before and I  _ won't _ allow it again. We'll take you home; and you will  _ never _ bother him again - understood?"

 

"Wait a moment, Kacchan." feeling indignant that he lost control of the situation, Izuku pulled the blond 'boyfriend' aside. "What are you doing?!"

 

"... getting her as far away from you as fucking possible."

 

"She's a friend, Kacchan." responded the younger male. "She's just a friend."

 

His red eyes squinted a little bit more, as his eyebrows frowned.

 

"... we'll talk later." declared the blond as he shot the crashed Celica a glance. "First things first; let's get the fuck outta here."

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Thanks to Bakugou Katsuki; the atmosphere inside the Trueno was dense and tense with Uraraka Ochako in the passenger seat.

 

"... I didn't know you were interested in guys, Izuku…" came her mumble. "Is he good to you?"

 

Should he tell her the truth? That they - him and Kacchan - weren't dating?

 

He just stared at the road ahead, opting to stay silent until he can think of something to say.

 

…

 

To be honest; Kacchan was indeed nice to him - very so recently, ever since he gotten the new engine and they've properly caught up with each other.

 

"Yes, he is." came his reply.

 

"... I'm glad, Izuku." said Ochako before she chuckled humourlessly. "... I guess any chance of me getting back with you is done; huh?"

 

"..."

 

"... I did like you, really." she confessed. "I really, really liked you. I was planning to break things off with the Benz guy even before you found out; but I guess…

 

… I guess life's not fair - and you finding out was… my punishment."

 

Izuku kept his hands on the steering wheel as he observed the headlights shining from behind in the mirrors as they drove down Haruna slowly.

 

The girl was sobbing, before she seemed to be determined to get her emotions in check and sat back up straight, sniffling her tears back in.

 

"... I'm going to Tokyo after we graduate." stated the brown-haired girl. "I'm going to Tokyo, and I'm going to attend the university. What about you…?"

 

"... I'm going to drive." came his response. "I'm going to race, as a street-racer. Then, I'm going to go pro."

 

"... that makes sense…" smiled Ochako sadly. "No wonder you got yourself a racer boyfriend - he is in your world and understands you…"

 

Izuku glanced at the Mazda's headlights shining in his rear-view mirror.

 

"... yeah, I guess…"

 

…

 

A few minutes later, she was finally sent back to the neighbourhood where she lived in.

 

"Thank you, Izuku." spoke Uraraka Ochako as she opened the door. "For saving me tonight."

 

Although she was thanking him; to Izuku - it sounded like she was saying goodbye.

 

"... you're welcome."

 

The door closed shut.

* * *

 


	53. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotions ran high that Christmas Eve of 1997.

* * *

It was nearly 10 P.M. at night.

 

The two Japanese sports cars from different eras parked once more on the street.

 

They entered the Midoriya Tofu Shop again silently. Thankfully, no one had broken into the house when it was left unlocked for an hour or so.

 

But now they were back together…

 

"You made everything really awkward, Kacchan." stated Izuku as he walked back into the kitchen and began putting on his apron. "Why did you say you were my… my  _ boyfriend _ ?"

 

The stoves were restarted, and the fire began heating up the pan, and the pot of miso soup next to it.

 

"Couldn't think of anything else that would work better." shrugged the blond man as he opened up the rice cooker, causing the trapped steam to be released into the air; spreading the fragrance. "The rice's done."

 

"... but still…" muttered the boy as he stirred the spicy mapo tofu in the pan. "... it's kinda weird…"

 

"What's weird?" Katsuki watched as the boy quickly gone to work to reheat the dish. "If we were boyfriends?"

 

"... yeah…" the blond thought he saw  a blush form on the other's freckled cheeks. "I… I'm… nevermind…"

 

"What is it, nerd?"

 

"... is that why you've been so nice to me?" asked Izuku as he turned off the stove. "... have you been taking me out to dates without me realising they  _ were _ dates…?"

 

"... they're whatever you want them to be, shitty Deku." grumbled Katsuki.

 

"... I see…"

 

"..."

 

Izuku had switched off the stoves, and put a lid over the pan of stir-fry and the pot of hot soup.

 

Then, the younger male turned his head to face him, straight-on.

 

"Then, kiss me."

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The feeling of familiar lips against his made him shudder a little bit, before he pulled the yellow-haired boy in closer to cuddle him as they sat in the karaoke room.

 

"Hey Eiji…" smiled the younger male as he put down the microphone, next to the messy opened bags of chips. "Eijirou…"

 

"Hmm?" he smiled back, nuzzling his nose affectionately.

 

"Thanks for spending Christmas Eve with me." he said.

 

"You're welcome." he replied before giving him another peck on the lips. "I think we're getting the whole day off tomorrow?"

 

"... yeah."

 

"I'll bring you to Hakone tomorrow." promised Kirishima Eijirou. "It's a nice place at night; you'll like it."

 

"Sounds good."

 

The yellow-haired Silvia driver suddenly jumped up and landed on his feet, and swiped the remote controller for the karaoke off the table.

 

"One more song! Then we'll blow this joint and go drinking!"

 

"But we're driving, you idiot!" laughed Eijirou.

 

"Oh, right. No drinking then." he pressed some buttons on the remote controller to pick the next song.

 

Then, 'Rock It Down' by M.O.V.E. began to play through the stereo speaker system mounted on the wall as he grabbed the microphone.

 

Eijirou also picked up his microphone and stood up, before suggesting:

 

"Maybe we can drink back at my place!"

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


"Are you making fun of me?" came the aggressive response from Bakugou Katsuki. "Huh? Shitty  _ Deku _ ?!"

 

"I'm not the one who went around claiming to be someone's boyfriend when they're obviously not!" combatted Izuku. "But why are you angry?! All I asked for is for you to kiss me!"

 

"For what?!" snapped the blond. "For me to be your fucking rebound after you lost that girl?"

 

"No!"

 

"Then what?!"

 

They were both breathing heavily; with neither of them really remembering how the conversation became so heated and turned into a full-blown argument.

 

"I just wanted to know if you really like me." said Izuku. "You've been overly kind to me, Kacchan - and I don't remember you being that way when we were kids-"

 

"Oh; now I can't be fucking nice to someone without wanting something in return?"

 

"That's not it!" the younger boy hissed in annoyance. "Just… tell me if you like me!"

 

Without warning, he was slammed a little violently against the kitchen counter far away from the stove, as Katsuki's face was too close to his for comfort.

 

The Bakugou was unsure of whether he should do this; but his mouth and body acted before his rationals kicked in.

 

"Alright…" he growled out; his voice husky and low. "You want a fucking kiss...? I got your kiss right here..." 

 

And their lips touched, just for a second. A second that felt too short for either of them.

 

They parted, with their faces still all-too-close to each other's.

 

The blond male could hear his own heart pounding in his eardrums from the little peck he just gave.

 

His entire body was cold with nervousness - and not just the winter cool.

 

"You wanna know why I gotta treat you nice?" began Katsuki lowly. "Because I didn't need to back when we're kids. I didn't need to be so nice then because I'm already your entire world."

 

"..."

 

"... but now that we're adults and shit, there's a whole lot of other shit that complicates things. And now,  _ I'm _ the extra that came into your fucking life and stirred shit up."

 

"Kacchan…" he felt like the blond's red eyes turned into a deep space that is trying to show him the universe.

 

"Don't talk, Deku." gritted Katsuki. "I'll  _ never _ get to say this again if you do."

 

"... okay."

 

"Now that you got all this other shit in your life; I gotta work to make you  _ notice _ me." the blond whispered out. "... I like seeing  _ you _ drive, I like watching  _ your _ Eight-Six move, and I like  _ you _ ."

 

"... Kacchan…" he whispered back.

 

"I stopped smoking because of you." breathed the fiery blond. "... all because of you and that shitty mint-gum you gave me."

 

The freckled face of Midoriya Izuku reddened slowly but surely; as he took every single word the other said and contemplated their meanings with his heart.

 

"You know why I started smoking in the first place?" Izuku shook his head. "... I was too angry about everything. I needed something to keep me down.

 

But when you came back into my life, all that anger slowly disappeared and left me. I don't fucking know how you did it, Deku…"

 

Their eyes continued to stare into each other.

 

"... will this…" he blinked a few times before his green eyes looked away from the intense gaze of the blond. "... will this affect our performance in Project D…?"

 

"... I sure as fuck hope it doesn't." smirked the man trapping him against the counter. "We're still gonna become the best drivers ever and destroy all the wannabes throughout Japan. Just you, and me - your Eight-Six, and my FD."

 

...

 

And this time, Izuku made the first move, and leaned forward to plant a kiss on the soft lips of Bakugou Katsuki.

 

And Katsuki kissed back.

 

They kissed, again and again and again; while Izuku's arms wrapped around the other's waist, pulling him in closer to feel the heat of his body; warming him up from the coldness of winter.

 

They were both obviously inexperienced at this.

 

But when their tongues touched; Izuku definitely tasted the faint sweetness of chewing gum - mint-flavoured.

 

That was all the evidence he needed.

 

"... I like you too, Kacchan."

 

The green gaze of Izuku's was way too bright.

 

Katsuki huffed, before finally breaking their hold on each other and grabbing two bowls from the piles of dishes.

 

"Let's fucking eat dinner already, I'm starving to death."

 

"Oh! Right!"

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Inko was greeted with the sight of an unfamiliar yellow car parked outside her house when she came home.

 

When she stepped through the door, there was also a pair of unfamiliar black boots decorated with orange accents.

 

She smelt the unmistakable scent of spice - of chilli-infused dishes.

 

Then she saw the blond male having dinner with her son. She wasn't sure what they were talking about, but they were teasing each other as they chowed down red-looking tofu with their rice.

 

"I'm home, Izuku." she announced, causing both sets of eyes to look at her. "Who's your friend…?"

 

That pair of ruby-red eyes were familiar; but she couldn't pin it down further…

 

"Mom!" greeted Izuku happily. "This is Kacchan!"

 

"Kacchan…?" she definitely heard that name before-

 

Oh.

 

Bakugou Katsuki - the son of Masaru and Mitsuki.

 

No wonder those red eyes were so familiar - they were a complete replica of his mother's eyes.

 

"... long time no see, Katsuki-kun." she smiled tenderly. "You've grown up."

 

"... yeah, I did." came his response - the boy was as socially-awkward as she remembered. "... nice to see you again, Aunty Inko."

 

"Join us, mom!" smiled her son brightly. "I cooked a little extra!"

 

"Oh, sure!"

 

And moments later, Midoriya Inko took a bite of the spicy (murderous) mapo tofu and wondered exactly why the two boy's tongues were not on fire.

 

She was glad there was miso soup.

* * *

 


	54. Part Of Me, Part Of You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The car is a huge part of a racer's life.

* * *

'Come to my workshop tomorrow.' was what Kacchan said to him before he went home in his FD.

 

He wondered what Kacchan wanted to do with him on the day of Christmas.

 

But, regardless of his uncertainties, he went anyway - driving all the way to Maebashi in his Trueno.

 

And now, the green-haired teen stood there awkwardly; looking at the entrance of the workshop warily through the windscreen of his Toyota.

 

What now?

 

And the moment he drove into the workshop, he knew that Katsuki was thinking the exact same thing:

 

What were they, now?

 

"... hey." greeted Izuku as he closed the door of his car.

 

"... hey." came the equally awkward response.

 

"... I'm here."

 

"Tch, I can see that, shitty Deku." grumbled Katsuki as he hid a blush from the other male. "Let me get ready."

 

By 'getting ready', what the blond really meant was just to give him a few seconds to grab the keys to his yellow Mazda.

 

"Get in, Deku." he held the passenger's door for him. "We'll go on a fucking date."

 

"... oh. Oh."

 

He blinked several times, as his large green eyes continued to stare at the blond male with an inexplicable emotion hidden behind them.

 

"Stop staring at me with that dumb look and get the fuck in already."

 

He complied.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The blond's idea of a date was apparently to bring them to a mountain.

 

Specifically, Mount Akagi.

 

The car ride there in the yellow RX-7 was especially awkward - with neither of them mentioning what happened the day before.

 

But what had gotten the day more interesting is when Katsuki turned off his Mazda, plucked out the keys and handed it over to Izuku, saying "drive.".

 

The blond had mentioned before that no one else had driven his FD before other than the owner himself - Izuku was going to be the first person who ever drove the yellow Mazda other than the owner.

 

He took the keys and gotten into the driver's seat, and sent it racing down the snowy mountain of Akagi.

 

It was powerful. It was a car more powerful than Izuku could handle, and his foot on the accelerator was almost never fully down due to the lack of traction on the snow.

 

His hands on the steering wheel felt like it would be thrown off from the knockback, and the tyres felt like they were unable to handle the car's power.

 

How does Kacchan even drive this thing? One small twitch in his right foot and he'll lose control instantly and spin.

 

But they managed to make it down the mountain safely, and the blond retook his position as the driver.

 

"Why did you ask me to drive your FD?" asked the green-haired boy as they stopped for a red light in the streets of Maebashi. "I don't understand…"

 

"I just wanted to see it for myself - your driving in my car." stated the blond as he tapped his fingers on the wheel. "I just wanted to let you know what my world - my car - is like."

 

"... it's very powerful, Kacchan." responded Izuku. "I can't drive it like you can."

 

"Of course, it's your first time in this car." Katsuki accelerated smoothly as the light went green. "But you're good, to drive it like that in the snow."

 

"... huh…" a blush unknown to the younger boy crept its way onto his face. "... I see…"

 

They drove through a street silently, with the only sound heard being the smooth rumble of the twin-turbo rotary engine.

 

"Do you like sushi?" asked Katsuki, changing the topic. "I know a place."

 

Suddenly, Midoriya Izuku perked up.

 

"Yeah! I haven't had sushi in a long time!" exclaimed the boy. "Because my family is quite poor, we can't afford food like that often."

 

"... nerd, I'll pay for everything."

 

He was prepared to let go of his bank account if it meant the happiness of the green-haired boy in his passenger seat.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


After the sushi lunch, Izuku was once again sat in the passenger seat of the yellow Mazda, as he looked at the white scenery outside the window.

 

There were many colourful light decorations everywhere, signifying the day of Christmas.

 

"I understand now, Kacchan." came the statement without warning.

 

"Hah?"

 

"Why you made me drive your FD." he smiled at the blond. "I understand it now."

 

"..." the blond continued to stare at the road ahead on the route back to his workshop.

 

"... our cars are a part of us, Kacchan." deduced the Midoriya, as his eyes travelled over the interior of the Mazda. "This car is like you - powerful, strong, bold… but it's all very refined..."

 

He understood that by being allowed to drive the FD, he was basically being told that he was allowed to be a  _ huge _ part of Bakugou Katsuki's life.

 

He liked that.

 

They had reached the workshop eventually, and Izuku was once again greeted with the sight of his parked Trueno.

 

Before they got out of the car, he fished the key of the old Toyota out of his pocket and offered it to the blond-haired male.

 

"... what's this?" Katsuki raised an eyebrow.

 

"Drive my Eight-Six, Kacchan."

 

"... I don't want to." came his response, causing Izuku's expression to be crestfallen.

 

"What?" asked the younger male. "Why?"

 

His red eyes stared at the Mazda's steering wheel.

 

"... I only want to see it driven by you." mumbled the Bakugou. "No one else should drive it other than you."

 

He didn't want to taint the beauty of that car - that mystical, graceful being that existed in the mountains of Japan like a mirage, like a wandering spirit.

 

Call him crazy; but Katsuki thought that that very AE86 had a  _ soul _ .

 

"... just this once?" pleaded Izuku, grasping the key tightly in a fist. "Please?"

 

The driver of the RX-7 gave a long, side-glance at the keys held in his hand.

 

...

 

"... fine." agreed the blond reluctantly as he took the keys from Izuku. "Just this once."

 

"It'll be fine, Kacchan." assured the green-haired boy. "I'll be right next to you."

 

"You better be."

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Driving the AE86 made him feel a different sense of freedom compared to what he felt when he drove his own FD.

 

The steering wheel was heavy, and the brakes were tricky to operate - he would have crashed if not for practicing his braking without the ABS in his FD months ago.

 

However...

 

The more he drove the Trueno, the more he felt like the car was being fuelled by some mysterious, stockpiled power instead of outright explosive power he felt in his RX-7.

 

It was a car driven by willpower and courage.

 

The Eight-Six was incredibly responsive, and he felt like he could take any corners at any speed that he wanted to as long as he got the guts to.

 

This is what Deku's life is like…

 

In the cabin of the old Toyota, both males sat silently as Katsuki piloted the car down the road of Haruna, using nothing but his memories of watching Izuku drive this very mountain guiding them down safely.

 

They understood the differences between their lives by driving each other's cars - their personalities, their quirks, their aspirations.

 

So on the white, snowy hill of Haruna, Katsuki pulled the Trueno to a stop, and they both stared at each other for a good few minutes in silence.

 

Then, they shared a kiss in the idling car - light, understanding, and loving.

 

All the uncertainties were gone.

 

There was a common factor…

 

Underneath it all; both of them were one and the same.

 

They were dreamers.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I end it here? It seemed pretty okay to end the story here for me.
> 
> Edit: This is the end of the story, but there are snippets to be seen after this!


	55. Support

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Katsuki crashed his FD due to underhanded tricks, he needed to adapt.  
> Izuku would also provide his help the best he could.

* * *

Bakugou Katsuki didn't remember the last time he had been so damn angry that he literally felt his veins popping out of his head.

 

The front-left fender of his FD was completely torn off, caused by the collision into the concrete bridge wall.

 

… it was because of that fucking oil poured on the road!

 

Those fucking losers driving Evos out here in Saitama, must have done this shit to put him out the race!

 

His car was still working, but… he already felt the wobble in the suspension as the car scraped to a stop against the wall minutes ago.

 

"FUCK!" he slammed the heel of his right foot down hard on a nearby guardrail, causing it to ring out loud with a 'crash!'.

 

He could drive it back to the peak of the mountain, but he had no idea what kind of damage had been done to his precious FD.

 

It looked so sad right now, even though no major damage had been done - even though it was only the front-left fender and bumper damaged and nearly torn off.

 

He had never crashed his car before until now, and it sucked.

 

… he should walkie the team for help.

 

'VVVVORRRHHHHHHHH~!'

 

… Deku's Eight-Six was approaching…!

 

High-tech two-tone with a new carbon-fibre hood that was installed a month ago...

 

As he rounded the corner, he noticed the still headlights of the yellow Mazda belonging to his boyfriend with the hazards turned on and…

 

… crashed right on the bridge?!

 

He immediately pulled to a stop, and got out of the car right in front of the other driver.

 

"Kacchan!" he shouted as he ran up to his boyfriend. "Are you hurt?!"

 

"I'm fine, Deku." the blond looked pissedbas he pointed to a puddle of black. "Someone did this shit."

 

It was undeniably - oil - even he could make it out in the dark night illuminated only with their headlights and streetlamps.

 

"... oh…"

 

And it was spilled across nearly the entirety of the road's width; covering two-thirds of the already narrow mountain road.

 

The clean part of the road could barely fit a car through.

 

From the oil puddle, there were four streaks of long, straight marks revealing where the FD3S's tyres had travelled before it hit the bridge's wall.

 

"... can your FD still move?"

 

"At a slow speed, probably." gritted out the blond as he opened the door to his car. "Just my fucking luck to run into such asshole losers that needed these underhanded tricks."

 

Midoriya Izuku was angry too.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


"... oil…?" frowned Todoroki Shouto as soon as he heard the news.

 

The FD was parked right next to the first support van, as the mechanic - Kirishima Eijirou - gave it a good once-over.

 

"Yeah, fucking  _ oil _ ." repeated the Bakugou. "It was all over the fucking road - couldn't have avoided it - I swear I'm gonna kill those fuckers!"

 

Those 'fuckers' - the Lan-Evo drivers of the opposing team: Monoma Neito, and Shigaraki Tomura.

 

"It's no good, Katsuki." the red-haired mechanic spoke after examining the damage done. "Even if the axle and steering rack's fine, the shocks are completely collapsed. There's nothing we can do about it right now."

 

"Oh~! What's this?"

 

Speaking of the devil - the blond opponent showed up: Monoma Neito - driver of a white Evo 5.

 

"Oh, what a nasty damage! I see - you can't even drive your FD properly and you want to race me and my Evo?" mocked the opponent with a false concerned voice. "That's strange! I thought Project D was a top-notch team-"

 

He was immediately grabbed by the hem of his shirt by the driver of the recently-crashed Mazda, and the angry blond began screaming.

 

"I KNOW YOU POURED THE FUCKING OIL THERE, DIPSHIT!" his voice reverberated through the night air. "I'M GONNA FUCKING-"

 

"Let him go, Katsuki." stated Shouto firmly with a displeased look.

 

"Hah?! Let this asshole  _ go _ ?! I oughta-"

 

"If you think about it," sternly spoke the leader, "you'd realise that you have no one to blame but  _ yourself _ for the crash!"

 

Katsuki's eyes widened, and his rage meter went through the roof.

 

It was a surprise he didn't blow up right there and then.

 

"Now let him go." Shouto tried again.

 

His hand - in a tight fist grasping onto the cotton fabric - shaked violently with uncontained, indignant anger.

 

….and he let go in an amazing display of willpower.

 

"We apologise for the misunderstanding." Shouto spoke to the Lancer driver. "We hope you don't take this to heart."

 

"Well, of course not." smiled Monoma Neito. "Unlike Bakugou Katsuki, I actually have grace. Thank you for settling this issue."

 

With that, the opponent walked away with a smug look.

 

"... What. The. Fuck, SHOUTO?!"

 

"Katsuki."

 

"How can you let him go like that?!"

 

"Because what I said was the truth. We can't prove they spilled the oil, although if they really did spill the oil on purpose..." stated the older male sternly, with his arms crossed. "If you had been paying attention to the road conditions instead of being overconfident; you could have seen the oil coming from afar and slowed down."

 

"..." Katsuki was silent.

 

"I wouldn't have crashed my FC for an underhanded trick like that."

 

And the older Todoroki walked away, leaving the adopted blond brother to feel nothing but shame for crashing his beloved, beloved yellow car.

 

Fuck, he wanted to cry.

 

"... Kacchan…" Izuku - who had witnessed the entire situation - finally spoke up.

 

The blond began walking away.

 

"... leave me alone, Deku."

 

He watched the back of his boyfriend move away before disappearing into the cabin of a support van.

 

He needed his alone time right now - Izuku understood that.

 

But it still hurt a little when he was pushed away.

 

"Midoriya." called out the red-and-white haired male. "I know you care about him and he's special to you, but your priority right now is to practice the course."

 

With one last look at the white van, he opened the door of his Toyota.

 

"I got it, Shouto-san."

 

"Avoid the oil-spilled section of the course while we clean up the spillage so you can practice."

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Shouto was completely right… although he didn't like it one bit -  _ not at all. _

 

He had indeed been taking it easy because he knew those shitty Lan-Evo drivers were no match for him or Deku.

 

But he still had a race tomorrow - and he didn't have his car for it - his FD.

 

… fuck…!

 

What now…?!

 

He had to find a way to get his car back in time for the race somehow…!

 

He pulled out his flip-phone to dial some contacts.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


"Katsuki…?" Eijirou noticed the blond making his way towards him and the FD.

 

"Not one…" muttered the uphill driver. "Not one single fucking shop near here sells shock absorbers for the FD right now! What the fuck?!"

 

"Even you don't have the part?"

 

"If I did I wouldn't be standing right here, shitty hair-for-brains."

 

"I'm sorry, man."

 

"Tch, the ones who should be apologising…" he glared daggers towards the parked white Mitsubishis. "... are those fucks right there who didn't even try to beat me properly."

 

"... well, Izuku's still out there on the road." stated the red Silvia driver. "Shouto gathered a team to clean up the oil."

 

"... I'll go, too." decided the blond. "If I can't practice tonight, I'm sure as hell gonna make sure Deku can."

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


It was a logistical nightmare.

 

They gathered whatever resources they had, and ran a relay of men to the single source of water - the river under the bridge.

 

Three buckets were constantly passed back and forth through the human-relay, with the filled water-buckets immediately poured out onto the road to wash up the oil.

 

Through all this, Katsuki still heard the faint sounds of the AE86 running around the mountain, promising swift defeat to his opponents.

 

He had to do something, too.

 

Finally - around an hour or two later - the road on the bridge finally looked clean enough to be driven on safely; after scrubbing out the debris from the asphalt with old newspapers.

 

"That's all we can do for now." declared Iida Tenya, as he passed the empty bucket to Eijirou to be kept. "A good rain should clean out the rest of the road adequately."

 

Shouto grabbed his walkie-talkie.

 

"Then, I'll ask Midoriya to start practicing from this point onwards."

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


He never had to do this before - driving a course in two different sections; it was usually always a full run, back and forth.

 

But now - with limited time - he could only use his experience and memory to piece the two jigsaws together instead of practicing the entire course.

 

…

 

It still sucked to know that Kacchan couldn't practice at all tonight.

 

What's going to happen to his race tomorrow?

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Izuku’s presence when they slept together in the same bed had been nothing but comforting for the loss of his yellow Mazda.

 

“It’ll be fine, Kacchan.” whispered the green-haired boy. “You’ll find a way…”

 

Katsuki huffed - this was the boy who managed to make friends with almost all the racers he raced -  the boy that gave his mind peace whenever they were close together.

 

“... tch, go to sleep, Deku.”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Every single idea they had tried and tested turned out to be useless - the yellow FD3S was definitely out of the race for tonight.

 

The botched repair they performed on the car - it didn’t work one bit - the Mazda lost control as soon as it began turning right and the weight was transferred to the left side of the car - even if the unevenness during braking could be corrected with the steering wheel.

 

Their last battle in the Saitama prefecture… was it going to be cancelled?

 

A short conversation with the opposing team had their members insisting that they must absolutely race tomorrow - and that Project D cannot cancel the race even if they are down a car - ‘use your Eight-Six or whatever’ was what they said.

 

…

 

These people… are suspicious as hell - and Katsuki did not like one single bit of it.

 

Consider him royally pissed.

 

There's no car he can use right now.

 

Until, a familiar group of cars appeared to watch the race - an AE86 Levin, and a black FD3S.

 

Unbeknownst to Katsuki - Izuku smiled a relieved smile when the two cars appeared to watch the race that night.

 

It meant his phone call had worked.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


"I'm gonna race with this car, whether you like it or not, Shouto." declared Bakugou Katsuki, as he flashed the keys to the borrowed Mazda.

 

Izuku stared from a distance as Katsuki stood beside a fellow FD driver that they had defeated in the previous races in Saitama.

 

The girl had been watching Project D races ever since to support the blond - and Izuku couldn't help but feel a little jealousy.

 

But the green-haired male understood that his Eight-Six will never be borrowed by the blond, as it barely had enough power for the hillclimb race.

 

… and because Kacchan had vowed to never drive his car and 'taint its beauty'.

 

Katsuki was determined to race in the borrowed black FD belonging to Utsushimi Camie.

 

After a tense few seconds in though, Todoroki Shouto finally gave a deep, long sigh and pulled out his flip-phone and punched in a few keys.

 

"... hello?" he spoke into the device. "It seems we won't be needing that car after all. Yes. Thank you."

 

…

 

"... wait a fucking second." gawked the explosive blond as he watched his foster-brother keep the phone. "You already had plans for a spare car?"

 

"... well, yeah." acknowledged Shouto. "I didn't want us to lose to such kinds of trash opponents either."

 

"... you fucker." Katsuki gave a wicked smirk. "I'll make sure to beat the crap outta them."

 

"Please do."

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


The Saitama-number Eight-Six looked different after a year - with a carbon-fibre hood altering its appearance; and a supercharger replacing the turbocharger after the original engine blew up due to the excessive power generated by the turbo.

 

It had certainly been an expensive fix; but he found another 4-AGE engine to swap into his beloved Levin; and opted for the supercharger option after his experience with Haruna’s Eight-Six.

 

The instant throttle response was certainly the best part of the new Levin.

 

"Well, that was certainly surprising." spoke Shinsou Hitoshi lazily towards the fawn-haired girl as he leaned on his Levin. "I'd never have expected you to borrow your FD to someone else under any circumstances - but a phone call from Izuku was all it took?"

 

"... I'm surprised, myself." answered Camie, looking out at the road. "But I also kinda wanted to see how my FD would move under a driver more skilled than me like Izuku promised."

 

She recalled the race between her and Bakugou Katsuki - both seemingly similar cars that ran differently, driven by drivers of different calibers.

 

Needless to say - Camie was defeated soundly immediately after making a tiny mistake that was unnoticeable to the common folks’s eyes - boost lag due to her single turbine.

 

She remembered the shock she felt when the yellow FD suddenly blew away from her with a burst of explosive, twin-turbo power from its 13B engine the moment her foot slipped from the gas pedal for a split second.

 

"... I see." he glanced towards the bottom of the hill, where faint sounds of revving engines could be heard. "Well, I guess the race's started…"

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“So why didn’t you want to use the car you borrowed for Katsuki?” asked Iida Tenya to their team leader. “I know you pulled some strings to get it.”

 

“Because there was no need to anymore.” replied Shouto. “I just chose the car that would be less of a handful for Katsuki; that’s all.”

 

“... oh!” Tenya’s eyes widened with realisation. “I see.”

 

“I see you get it.” smiled the red-and-white haired male. “Because he had raced that car at it’s limits before - he understands how it's different from his own car instinctively.”

 

His experience with his own FD immediately let him know once they got going - that Camie's FD was very well-tuned.

 

He knew that much from their race weeks ago - observing the black RX-7, racing from behind in his beloved yellow FD.

 

With a single turbo, it generated less power and torque compared to his own car - but it also meant that it was way more stable when he put his foot down; it was simple and easy to drive as it was more tame compared to his own car.

 

He smirked - this was a car he could win with!

 

That shitty Lan-Evo was going to cry!

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“So, what do you think is going to happen, Izuku?” asked Kirishima Eijirou a minute after the race started - after all the sound of the two racing cars had faded away into the mountains. “With these circumstances…”

 

“Kacchan’s definitely more skilled than the other driver; I can tell.” replied the green-haired boy with some pride in his boyfriend’s skills behind the wheel. “Although he didn’t get to practice at all last night… that’s exactly what’s causing this race to be balanced - because Monoma is nowhere as good as Kacchan.”

 

“So… you’re saying Katsuki’s going to win?”

 

“Yes.” replied the downhill driver with absolute confidence. “If this race were run under normal circumstances - I’m sure Kacchan would have won by now.”

 

“Let’s bet on where he’s making his move.”

 

“The moment Kacchan gets to the longest straight on this course - that’s where he will attack - I’m sure of it.”

 

Kirishima Eijirou sweatdropped.

 

“... on second thought - I’ll pass on the bet.”

 

Midoriya Izuku smiled sheepishly.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


“How the hell can someone who didn’t practice at all keep up that much?!” panicked Monoma Neito as he stomped on the brake pedal of his Mitsubishi to slow down for the S-turn. “What’s going on?!”

 

The headlights of the chasing black FD shone threateningly on his Lancer - illuminating the interior of his car ominously.

 

The two cars were positioned to the right side of the road to turn into the right-handed corner.

 

“Move your ass from the road; you’re blocking my fucking way!” yelled Katsuki as he downshifted the borrowed FD into second gear before he stepped on the gas pedal bravely while turning the wheel, sending the black car into a perfectly-executed tailslide as it gained on the Evolution. “I’m gonna fucking kill your Evo!”

 

The front bumper of the RX-7 nearly touched the rear bumper of the white Lancer as it exited the slow corner.

 

And suddenly, Katsuki’s eyes widened as he observed - predicted - the movement of the other opponent.

 

He knew this part of the road by watching the recorded video-guides together with Deku, leaning against each other.

 

After the next corner - it would be the longest straight on the course!

 

The Evolution exited the corner and went right on the outside edge - too far towards the outside of the road to take the next corner at full speed - and he was right where he needed to be!

 

Although the Lancer was pulling away slightly due to the different in racing lines - he knew that this was his chance to win being presented right in front of him!

 

The FD3S - positioned on the left side of the road - would end up driving onto the longest straight with the higher exit speed!

 

Turning left into the next corner, he controlled the accelerator patiently with his right foot - knowing that a slight mistake or wheelspin will take away his chance of victory!

 

And when the straightaway presented itself to him through the windscreen of the rotary machine - he stomped onto the clutch pedal to shift into third and slammed down the gas pedal all the way to the floor; causing the 300 HP RX-7 to roar out with power!

 

He moved the car into the gap left by the wide-turning Evolution, and reeled in the leading car by moving side-by-side with it!

 

“What the…?!” Neito was too late to block the incoming FD3S - and it turned into a battle of power on the straightaway! “There’s a construction up ahead - we can’t pass side by side here!” he exclaimed.

 

A few hundred metres away ahead - the small area of the road where a barrier blocked nearly one-third of the road was an obstacle.

 

But Katsuki’s foot remained hard on the gas as after shifting into fourth gear and inching his wheel to the right - forcing the Lancer to move further to the right side of the road.

 

Even though the Evo 5 had 350 HP, Katsuki’s insane exit speed dashing out of the previous corner had made up for the 50 HP difference in power!

 

“Stop coming in closer!” screamed the driver of the 4WD car as he felt his right-side tyres dipping into the edge of the road as he felt fear crawl up his spine. “I have no space left!”

 

Katsuki knew that they would both pass through without issue - he was absolutely sure of it - his spatial judgement was impeccable - and he was rearing for an all-out, braking battle into the next corner at full speed - his competitive instinct wanted it to happen, and wanted him to win through a well-executed braking technique.

 

So, he was thoroughly,  _ thoroughly _ disappointed when the opponent slammed on their brakes and chickened out of passing through the barricade side-by-side.

 

“Tch, fucking coward…” grumbled Katsuki as he decided to leave the Lancer behind. “Can’t even give me a good battle…”

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Minutes later, the sight of the black FD3S driven by the satisfied Bakugou Katsuki announced Project D’s victory - reaching the finish line nearly half a minute ahead of the white Evolution 5.

 

The blond grinned wildly with mirth at the sight of the indignant opponent’s face after he stepped out of the Mitsubishi.

 

“I thought Project D was a respectable team - what the hell was that move back there?” complained the Lancer driver immediately after the race. “If I hadn’t braked - we would have crashed!”

 

“Tch, don’t give me that bullshit - you really believe that crap?” sneered Bakugou Katsuki. “We would have passed through side-by-side if you had pulled  _ all _ the way to the right side of the road.”

 

“... what…?”

 

“If you couldn’t see that right away - you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. It was a fucking straightaway, not a midst of a corner!” frowned the FD-driving blond. “If you had moved, I’d have around two centimetres from the barricade - leaving you around five centimetres from the fucking guardrail.”

 

“... you’re lying.”

 

“Tch, you’re disappointing. The real battle wasn’t even the accelerating. It was supposed to be the braking after we drove the whole road ‘til we can’t accelerate no more - you couldn’t even give me that satisfaction of beating you.”

 

Monoma Neito stood indignantly.

 

“I got nothing else to say to you.” and the real racer left to return the keys of the Mazda to its rightful owner.

 

…

 

“Kacchan… you’re amazing…” muttered Izuku, who had witnessed the conversation.

 

“Oi, shitty Deku.” Katsuki snapped the other boy out of his trance. “Your turn next, beat them up for me.”

 

“Promise, Kacchan!”

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> I love Initial D, which caused me to imagine the BNHA characters in the Initial D universe; and it seemed pretty logical and plausible; so I decided to write this fic.  
> It initially started out as a joke but eh, I love cars and gay.


End file.
